Moms Think!
Moms Think. We are the holders of the purse strings in our households and we are often the ones that make the buying and purchasing decisions. We cut coupons, decide on family vacations, major purchases and as thinking women we recognize how we are effected by the state of the economy. One of the issues that has me fired up is healthcare. I am an ambassador for MomThink.org and we are moms that are opening up the dialogue and discussion about issues that impact our children and their future.
In January I was supposed to go the Capital Hill with my a group of mom bloggers on a trip which we lovingly nicknamed - Mrs. Mom Blogger goes to Washington! I did the preliminary work and set up a meeting with my congressman and was fired up to hear his take on the federal budget. Sadly, snowmaggedon hit and I was stuck in Atlanta. No visit to the Capital for me. BUT my interest in issues affecting my family has not waned.
Since I’ve been focused on my health I wanted to share some things with you. I am by no means an expert in healthcare, the healthcare bill or the like but I can speak about my experience and the experiences of my friends. As a self-employed person, I am responsible for my own healthcare. For the last 3 years I’ve paid for health insurance for my family. I currently pay $650 a month for a family of 3. And this is the bare minimum plan! I still have an approximately $3000 deductible, must spend $150 for an ER visit and honestly have been unable to get my baseline mamogram because the cost of the exam is crazy!
I keep my insurance for annual physicals for myself and my son but I have to say I’m disappointed by the people that are against universal healthcare because seriously? The costs for me and my family and my friends are going up! My girlfriend pays over $400 a month for healthcare for her family of 3 and her insurance is subsidized!
I don’t have the solutions but is my hope that opening up about my experience and sharing it with others will give us all an opportunity to discuss issues like healthcare. MomThink.org is the place where we can have these types of conversations and I hope that you join us there. It doesn’t matter what side of the aisle you are on, let’s talk about the issues!
If issues like healthcare, the national debt and national security are important to you please visit MomThink.org and join the conversation!
Disclosure: I am a MomThink.org ambassador and am compensated for my time but all of my opinions are 100% my own.
In January I was supposed to go the Capital Hill with my a group of mom bloggers on a trip which we lovingly nicknamed - Mrs. Mom Blogger goes to Washington! I did the preliminary work and set up a meeting with my congressman and was fired up to hear his take on the federal budget. Sadly, snowmaggedon hit and I was stuck in Atlanta. No visit to the Capital for me. BUT my interest in issues affecting my family has not waned.
Since I’ve been focused on my health I wanted to share some things with you. I am by no means an expert in healthcare, the healthcare bill or the like but I can speak about my experience and the experiences of my friends. As a self-employed person, I am responsible for my own healthcare. For the last 3 years I’ve paid for health insurance for my family. I currently pay $650 a month for a family of 3. And this is the bare minimum plan! I still have an approximately $3000 deductible, must spend $150 for an ER visit and honestly have been unable to get my baseline mamogram because the cost of the exam is crazy!
I keep my insurance for annual physicals for myself and my son but I have to say I’m disappointed by the people that are against universal healthcare because seriously? The costs for me and my family and my friends are going up! My girlfriend pays over $400 a month for healthcare for her family of 3 and her insurance is subsidized!
I don’t have the solutions but is my hope that opening up about my experience and sharing it with others will give us all an opportunity to discuss issues like healthcare. MomThink.org is the place where we can have these types of conversations and I hope that you join us there. It doesn’t matter what side of the aisle you are on, let’s talk about the issues!
If issues like healthcare, the national debt and national security are important to you please visit MomThink.org and join the conversation!
Disclosure: I am a MomThink.org ambassador and am compensated for my time but all of my opinions are 100% my own.
Comments
Also, when my mother was terminally ill, we were paying $1000/month for one of her medications, the primary one that was actually keeping her cancer under control. That was with "good" insurance provided by a university, and the cost represented a 50% reduction in price. Getting the same medication from Mexico would have cost us 1/4th of that...including shipping, etc. But, of course, we wouldn't be able to get it through customs.
Fortunately, our family was in a position to do what we had to do to keep her alive with a high quality of life, but if she hadn't had us, she wouldn't have been able to cover it. Eventually, she was able to get into a program with the manufacturer and the medication was significantly cheaper. But, dealing with her situation opened my eyes to the bleak reality that so many people have to face, the difficult decisions they have to make about whether to get the meds or cover basic living expenses, and the disparity in treatment based upon income.
Sorry for the long comment, but this one hit home. Thanks for indulging me!
I was fine with this until my son was diagnosed with asthma. Now he needs $500 worth of preventative meds per month and that is all out of pocket. I have money for my deductible withheld out of my paycheck monthly, but I need to up my withholdings to account for this unexpected expense. A HDHP isn't the best option for someone who needs expensive monthly meds.
I am blessed to be able to cover the costs of insurance and the deductible (even though it hurts!) but I can see how this situation would be unworkable for someone barely hanging on. I hope there is a way to make this more workable for more families in the future.
I don't think this is fair at all. It's his money that he earned fairly or unfairly and i don't think anyone has the right to tell him/her what he HAS to do with any of it.
Of course I am NOT a millionaire but I heard this such a topic on NPR a few weeks ago and agreed with the millionaire but I couldn't think of a solution to compromise.
It all basically reminds me of all the other items that are getting taken out of my check right now for the benefit of the good (which I am all for) but the plans that they are to be used for are broken???
But then on the flip side who decides how much she should be able to pay for those meds.