MontanaMama
MontanaMama's JournalWe welcomed a new member of the family yesterday.
Her name is Maybee…like maybe I’m nuts for getting a puppy. She’s a tri-color border collie born on a working cattle ranch. I lost my 14 year old border collie and hiking buddy in August and I miss him terribly. Hitting the trails isn’t nearly as fun alone. Maybee can’t do trails until she’s fully vaccinated but It’s going to be one heck of a spring once she’s ready to go.
I had to tell a good friend that I can't get together with her over the holidays.
"Jackie" used to be my neighbor. She's former surgical nurse and now is a medical director for at risk youth near a military base. We've been friends for many years. We did everything together when she lived here. We're avid gardeners...we hiked all over western Montana together...we had happy hour together almost every Thursday...we shared a CSA farm share between our two families. She's like a sister.
Two years ago she went through a nasty divorce and moved out of state with her two kids. She's now with her high school sweetheart and things are good for her for which I'm very happy.
Jackie texted that she and her SO were planning to come up here to pick up her kids after Christmas...they're with her ex-husband. She asked if she and her guy could spend New Years with us and I jumped at the chance to have her in my home again. THEN, I sent a text that said "Just so you know, we're vaxxed and boosted. You guys too?" She replied that they all had Covid in August and she's not worried about getting sick because they have "good old fashioned immunity". I'm floored. She's a friggin' nurse. She knows better...or she damned well ought to. I am so disappointed in her and I'm so disappointed that I won't be able to see her.
I'm just so sad. WTH has happened to people who used to have a functioning brain?
School shooting, bombing threats promising nationwide attacks circulating on Tik Tok
I got an email from our county schools superintendent stating they were aware of the posts on social media, particularly Tik Tok. The letter stated they did not believe there was a credible threat. I’m waiting for my husband and kiddo to get home from work so we can talk about it as a family. I’m so damned weary of worrying about my kid getting murdered in school, I can’t even speak to it.
A wave of school shooting threats in the U.S. circulating on TikTok and other social media is raising concern among school staff and authorities.
Generally the threats don’t name specific schools and local authorities have said many of lack credibility. Still, schools in Michigan, Washington and others across the country have temporarily closed or bolstered police presence as a precaution.
more at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-16/tiktok-school-shooting-threats-prompt-closures-and-more-police
https://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/bitterroot-schools-law-enforcement-respond-to-tiktok-school-threat-challenge/article_ea0ec413-d819-5827-b878-0fe21acffeff.html#tracking-source=home-top-story
https://wjla.com/news/local/we-are-aware-of-this-dmv-officials-respond-to-national-tiktok-threat-against-schools
Health insurance: Ever been presented with a choice where there's no good choice?
It happens this time every year...I have to choose a health insurance plan for my little family of three for the next calendar year. We're self employed and so options are few and they are outrageously expensive. The Affordable Care Act did a lot of good. For example, insurance companies can't charge more for pre-existing conditions and they can't deny coverage if you have a pre-existing condition. That said, insurance companies base premiums on your age. My husband is 60, I'm 57 and my son is 16. We're healthy, thankfully, and still we pay through the nose for our insurance. I can't take the chance of being uninsured and having something catastrophic happening where we might lose our house or business. That said, I'm sitting here fuming over my "choices".
Here's the lowdown:
Pacific Source:
Gold plan with a $3000 per person deductible is $2170 per month
Silver plan with a $4500 per person deductible is $1955 per month
Bronze plan with a $7000 per person deductible is $1674 per month
BCBSH of MT:
Gold plan with $2900 per person deductible is $2474 per month
Silver plan with a $4400 per person deductible is $2204 per month
Bronze plan with a $6500 per person deductible is $1797 per month
Mtn Health Coop
Gold plan with a $1000 per person deductible is $2125 per month...with that low deductible this plan has a $6500 max out of pocket and is HSA ineligible
Silver plan with a $4400 per person deductible is $1912 per month
Bronze plan with a $7000 per person deductible is $1668 per month
All these plans cost more than my mortgage and yet I have to choose one. This is all that is available on the individual market in Montana. I get why people work at jobs they don't like just to retain the health insurance benefits. I am furious because we don't cost any more to insure that a member of Congress. Why can't we buy into their plan?
Rant off.
Profile Information
Gender: FemaleHometown: Montana
Home country: USA
Member since: Mon Oct 31, 2016, 02:23 PM
Number of posts: 23,307
