Havnt posted on DU in years... But dammit I have an insurance rant... [View all]

[bunnies]

and I need the DU community to keep me from losing my mind over this!

So, after more than a decade without health insurance, I was elated yesterday when the offer to get covered finally came. The job I started a year ago in April was finally making it happen. My love and I can finally get the care we so desperately want and need. At least thats what I thought until we sat down and read the letter. We crunched numbers over drinks and wondered, is this some sort of joke?

$162.00 a week. Thats what they want for what they call "coverage". With a $2000 per person deductible and co-pays out the wazoo. $162.00 a week. Just about half my take-home pay. Thats $702.00 a month. $8424.00 a year.
Oh, and double that to get the full cost of the plan since my employer pays nearly half.

And to think... just last year we both qualfied for assistance through our local hospital. This, we found out, when I literally crushed my hand. We waited two days to go, while my hand turned green, wondering how we'd pay the ER bill. All the while thinking about the other times we *should* have gone but didnt.
We didnt go when my man of 12 years cut his thumb to the tendon on a piece of glass.
We butterfly bandaged it up and hoped for the best.
We didnt go when I broke my elbow, which healed poorly and painfully for YEARS.
And which actually cost me full use of my right arm to this day.
But the hand was more than we thought we could deal with ourselves. So we broke down and went. And thankfully, the hospital covered my visit.

The assistance actually allowed us to get physicals for the first time since the mid 90's. And what a relief to find that we were both in good health. But this year, thanks to budget cuts, we no longer qualify. Though we have the same jobs, make the same money and live in the same apartment... we are now considered well-off enough to fend for ourselves.

Ok fine. We're more than willing to purchase coverage for ourselves. But how in hell are we supposed to afford this? What should we cut out? Food? Rent? Electricity? WHAT?!

We drive old cars. Mines a 91 honda I paid $600 bucks for. His is a 97 honda. A gift from his mom when she bought a car last year. We never eat out. We shop at goodwill. We buy the discounted produce at the supermarket. And all thats ok with us. We have each other, we get by, and we're happy. All we want is simple, basic health care we can afford. We shouldnt have to chose between having "health insurance" and living on the street.

So I guess we'll be checking the "elect not to enroll" box on the insurance form. And we'll just be a couple of the "free riders" republicans love so much to mock. But theres no freedom in watching someone you love suffer from lack of proper health care. Theres no freedom in getting shit credit due to an obscene doctor bill.
Theres no freedom in hoping a tendon will magically re-attach itself because its the only "affordable" OPTION for you.
And theres no freedom in needing to buy food over "health insurance".

And to my employer, who wants to shell out that $130.00 a week for a pile crap? I could really use a $4.00 an hour raise instead.

Its just. not. right.