Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Forget Marrying for British Citizenship

...I'm looking to marry for good healthcare.
Do you know where all my problems start? No, not with my temper, entirely. They start with money. The Whatever and I fight about money. My Mom nags me about money. I can't live out my dream to save up money, quit my job and travel Europe for a year because of money. And, like most of the problems facing Americans today, a lot of my money woes come from health insurance, or a lack thereof.
I took my low-paying job in publishing with this publisher because I like it. I like the books they put out and I like the people I work with. I do not like my ridiculously low salary, but I was pacified by the fact that I get "good benefits." Now, three years later, that's been downgraded to "benefits of some kind, but mostly el shitto." Every year, I pay more for each birth control prescription I get filled. Every year, the copay for visiting my doctor goes up. If I visit an ER, I automatically pay $100. This year, my premiums went up AND I now have shitty dental coverage. Guardian. Have you heard of them? Me neither. Guess who accepts their craptastic insurance? Not my dentist, that's who. I think dentists who work out of the back of a conversion van might, but that's about it.
Not only that, but there's very few perks that may eventually lower the cost of healthcare for the company. My friend asked HR if they'd agree to a corporate plan or discount at Healthworks. A large majority of the women in my office go to Healthworks, and shell out a large amount of money to do so. A lot of women would shell out a lot of money to go to Healthworks if it would cost them slightly less to go (myself included). It's close to the office. Our office is comprised of about 98% women. Hook a sister up. If I'm working out, I'm feeling better. If I'm feeling better, I'm working better. If I'm working better, the company gets more out of me for my small salary. I'm glad to have the pay, believe me. But I do not enjoy having my raise negated by the increases to my health insurance. My friend said that HR would "think about" the gym discount Yeah, and I'll "think about" marrying some guy for his less crappy healthcare that doesn't send me bills because the insurance didn't cover all they said they would EVEN WHEN I AM IN NETWORK. I don't WANT to join the Flexible Spending because I get screwed out of my money if I don't use it by the end of the year. I want to be able to go to a good dentist and PAY ONLY THE COPAY, and not get the fun window envelope a few weeks later asking for another $15. It adds up, and I don't have it.
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You said it, clipart.
So now I've had it. My friend and I are mounting a resistance to the unlubricated reaming we're getting. I know that healthcare is an expensive service for a company to provide, but why aren't more huge companies with actual lobbying power asking the government to do anything about it? I doubt the textbook publishing lobby is strong enough to argue with the drug companies, but a car maker certainly could. Wake up, America!

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