The Challenge of Providing Health Insurance for My Family

I'm pushing the buttons on the calculator, and my stomach is getting that falling sensation you get after that first big drop of a roller coaster ride. I watch the numbers getting bigger and bigger.

If you haven't guessed it yet, I'm in the process of paying my bills. Holy Moley!! I start to feel the beginnings of an anxiety attack, my heart is racing, my breathing is starting to become labored, and I think to myself "We can't do this anymore, I need to go back to work." I want to cry. I want to scream. I am so angry! Not because I need work, that's just a part of life. I've worked for years, and I'm more than able to work for many more. No I'm angry because of one thing and one thing only, the one bill that has the ability to financially break us. You may be thinking to yourself, it's the mortgage. Well it's not, we are financially able to pay every one of our household bills, including tuition for a private school for our son. The cost I am referring to is the health insurance premium. It costs us $880.17 every month to maintain our coverage. It's an OK plan, as long as no one needs chemotherapy, that's not covered. But if we need radiation therapy we're good to go!

We are an average family of three, myself, my husband, and my ten year old son. After a family tragedy we decided that my full-time presence in the home was necessary. My husband bravely accepted the responsibility of being the sole bread winner of the home, bless his wonderful heart. Our plan was to pay under the COBRA Plan since our coverage was through my job. Unfortunately, that did not happen, paperwork was lost, phone calls were not returned, and messages left were stated to be never have been received. Long story short, I received a letter two days after our coverage had expired informing me we were no longer covered. When I called I was informed that there was nothing I could do, unless I wanted to enroll in an individual plan.

After my husband and I got over our respective heart attacks, we began to think of our options. My husband has a small painting company, let's get insurance under that! Simple right? Wrong. It turns out that his company was too small. Go figure. You can get individual insurance (if you are willing to donate blood on a daily basis), but don't try to get it for a small business, there's no money to be made in that I guess. So, it's back to the drawing board. As much as we didn't want to, we started thinking about the local assistance programs for insurance. It turns out that our state is no longer covering families, but they will cover our son. Cool! At least he will be covered, at this point he is our main concern. But wait, he has to be uncovered for a period of six months before he will be eligible for coverage. OK, no problem, we'll keep him in a bubble, vaccinations are overrated anyway, and the school will have to take my word for it as far as his health goes. I'll just tell him not to break any bones, keep his hands away from his face, and drink lots of orange juice. As it turns out, even after waiting the six month period, none of my ten calls were ever returned. Should I be surprised? Are you feeling my frustration yet? So, here I am today, hyperventilating over the cost of our health insurance premium. Why?

We live in the United States of America, one of the most prosperous countries in the world. Yet its citizens are financially struggling on a daily basis. The very same people who work and are essentially keeping this economy going are the same people who can't afford their mortgage payments, gas, food, and health insurance. Mother's are forced to choose between paying bills and being with their children. Children are being left alone because parents just can't afford childcare. They are being robbed of the bonding experience with their mothers, the most important relationship they can have (through no fault of the working mother). You may say that our country was built upon hard work and earning your keep. I agree. My issue is that the harder we work the worse it gets. The more we make, the more expensive the cost of living becomes. My question is when and why did "The Land of The Free and The Home of The Brave" become "The Land of The Rich and The Home of The Struggling"?