Crunch time is over,...YEA!!

In my business the Annual Meetings are all in October and Novemeber. That's when everything for the entire year gets crushed into a two or three hour annual meeting, which takes literally a month or so to put together,...each. Multiply that by eight or none and ,...well,..I survived, again.
So let's see, other than work, what's been going on? Ok, first a rant on the American "conundrum",..health Insurance.
I know I've ranted before, but bear with me here. I am beginning to wonder what part about common sense I am missing?
Usually you get what we call "Group" insurance, from your employer, and "in the old days" if you left that employer you still had coverage until the end of that particular month. Then you either got another job, a new group health insurance plan, or you just muddled through and handled things "out of pocket" until you did get a new job. Very few folks had "thier own" health insurance plan then.
Then , God love the government, they stepped in and screwed it up to "assist us", and "protect us". They initiated an animal so aptly nicknamed "COBRA" as part of thier "help". So after the end of the month, if you didn't have another job yet, you could opt to continue your old health insurance at the cost you're company paid for up to 18 months. (Ok, let me see, just lost my job, no income coming in, ...so tell me where I am supposed to get the "cost you're company paid"? Oh sure I could tap my savings, the mythical thing most Americans have little or none of,...and if I did that who would pay the mortgage payment on the house at the end of the month? Oh yeah, and that funny little habit the kids have of wanting to eat three meals a day,...forgot that one. Moral to the story don't quit or get fired unless you have another job "in the bag".
As soon as the insurance companies saw the government "help us out" they immediately jumped on the "more for me" bandwagon and started raising prices and other "nasties" (co-pays go up, negociated COBRA pricing, i.e. first two months at the employers rate then a 200% increase to be sure they "dump" any potential for having to payout anything.
Being a "thinker" whenever I hit a "dilemma" I research, investigate, and sort of "get my head around" the entire situation. Besides headaches, this also leads to seeing exactly how much we are getting screwed!
Recently I was terminated from a job (anacronym for "Just Over Broke") the COBRA bill came and it was $750 a month, good news you have 90 days to decide to pay it, no medical coverage if you don't but you can go back and file claims during that period later after you've paid for it. So I opt to wait and see, second months bill comes in, now another $750 is added, so now I have to pony up $1500 to be covered for the past 60 days, so I opt to wait til the end, the 90 days and see. I've got a couple job offers working, I'm just not sure which one I want to accept. So I wait. Third month comes and the bill for the third month is $1369! So I call to see if there is a mistake, nope,.. "it was a negociated increase with the employer"!! Where the hell do you come up with that kind of money a month if you are a working class stiff? If you divide that $1,370 by $5 an hour you have to work 274 at $5 an hour to cover it. Or let's say you make a whooping $10 per hour at your job, you have to deduct the first $1,370 to pay for your health care! So if my math still works, you GROSS $400 a week, take out 20%, or $80 in taxes, no you have $320 left, go ahead and pay a quarter of your health insurance, let's see, $1370 divided by 4 equals, let's see, $342.50, so if I'm correct you are already in the hole by $22.50 for the week and dead broke!!
That sucks!!
But what can the common man do? Not a damn thing, just keep saying "yes suh Masta'" and keep your mouth shut. Exploitation is so much fun!
I tried to get a private health plan, we're going on month four now. I was "allowed" a temporary 30 day plan" for $276, but only for three monthes. There are now only 13 days left on that, and the carrier Blue Cross, Blue Sheild, has still not made up thier mind in "underwriting" as to whether I will be able to get insured with them!
Oh yeah, got to remember these things are "opportunites", not "problems" they should not interfere with my performance of my job at all. "My mind is clear and focused boss", "I'm all over the job like white on rice". "No worries here boss already told the wife and kids a one meal a day diet would be good for all of us, and hell the exercise of running to work every day, all twelve miles, well that should help me live longer and work even harder".
Damn ain't life great!

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