Healthcare and Jobs the Major Issues of the Day

I just talked to another friend yesterday who had lost her job. The company she worked for downsized a two person human resources office to just one person. She was out of a job without any prior notice. Luckily she was able to afford the COBRA healthcare plan that was offered to her. She was able to get her healthcare premiums lowered when the government instituted the Continuation Coverage Assistance under the American Recovery Act.

She recently learned that the company was going bankrupt and that her health plan would be ending. Now that she has lost her insurance entirely what is left for her to do? She's been racing to get prescriptions filled and a doctor's visit in before her insurance expires and then she's hoping that she can find another job with insurance.

When you get in this type of situation, there isn't a lot you can do. Many people will opt to eat and keep a roof over their heads rather than pay for the outrageous premiums charged for insurance on an individual or family basis without the benefit of being part of a group plan. They hope that they can get employment again before they get sick. If you are able to find something inexpensive, you will still have large out of pocket expenses if something does go wrong.

There are a lot of older Americans who have lost jobs and are now faced with insurance premiums that are threatening to wipe out their savings. It's a shame when a person works all of their lives to suddenly be faced with a job loss and ever increasing insurance costs. They are too young to retire, but too old to be wanted in the job market.

We hear the Democrats and Republicans debating the healthcare issue. They are deadlocked because of their ideologies. The Democrats and Republicans want the same things. But they are stubbornly standing their ground on how they think reform should be delivered.

In the meantime the American people wait. They don't have a lot of hope that the reform we finally end up with will be what we need. We are at a crossroads in American politics. People for a long time have been upset with the way our government spends money and works out deals and attaches pet projects to our laws. Every time there is an election we hear the same lip service. Empty promises are made. We will have change. Well, where's the change? It never seems to happen. Government just keeps getting bigger.

Some of the American people could care less about what happens in our government. They don't have much interest or patience with what goes on in Washington. Young healthy people don't know what all the fuss is about. They think it's wonderful that are government is trying to work something out to give everyone healthcare.

We are becoming a society where it's a better career move to work for the government than private industry. The pay and benefits of government jobs is better than what the private sector generally offers. The problem is that government doesn't produce anything. How can you run a prospering economy without producing anything? Have you ever had to deal with a government office? It's not a good experience.

All of our past prosperity comes on the backs of taxpaying workers. When you have job loss you also have a loss in tax revenue. In business when money gets tight you have to make painful cuts. But government says you have to spend your way out of hard times. This does not sound logical to me. I just don't understand. Well that's my rant for this week. I will say no more.