So, I know the healthcare debate is a major issue today. And there are a lot of people against it saying they're responsible to pay for their own healthcare, why should there be a government healthcare plan? Well, I can tell you, I'm for government health care. It'd be nice to see a health plan out there that isn't for-profit and is affordable. Maybe the one in debate today at the capitol doesn't fit those terms exactly, but it's one step towards it.
An alternative to government healthcare would be to enforce employers to offer healthcare benefits to both full-time and part-time employees. An emergency plan is not the same as a healthcare plan. And I know most retail employers hire employees as part-time, so they don't qualify for full-time benefits. And then they have the employees work full-time three of the four weeks a month, just so they don't have to bump the employees up to full-time status. And its just ridiculous that employers are that greedy and unwilling to support their employees' health.
Here's my own personal situation. Utah State University does not offer its part-time employees healthcare. It does offer students health care plans. The health care plan costs more than buying private insurance, it's a 70/30 plan, and you still have to call the plan before they'll okay you going to the emergency room or doctor's office (outside of the health and wellness center). Now, what about Jared's employer? K-Mart. I refuse to spend $3000 a year on an emergency plan that'll only cover up to $2000 of your expenses (unless you end up in the emergency room, have a baby, and go to the doctor's office repeatedly -- in which case they'll pay $5000 while you pay $20000). So, what other options are available? We had to go through private insurers, and let me tell you, they're expensive (I dare you to go to e-insurance.com and just look up health plan costs). A fifth of our salary goes towards our healthcare premiums. And if something were to happen to us and cause us to end up in the hospital, a third to half of our salary would go towards paying the hospital bills even though we have health insurance. It's ridiculous... But I'm going to do what it takes to keep myself and my husband insured.
Health insurance was actually the number one thing that kept us from getting married earlier. I had a plan under my mom. Jared just went without insurance for a couple of years. When my mom's employer cut their health benefits down, I decided her insurance wasn't going to benefit me anymore. They stopped covering birth control stating that was an unneeded expense (I'd take the $600-$1000 a year over $13000-$20000 for a live birth any day). Health care plans are just ridiculously and outrageously expensive right now. And I think one of the major problems is the fact that health insurance is for-profit. We're going to make a profit over someone else's suffering? Ridiculous...
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