Healthy Government

So, the Health Care bill passed the Senate...

I noticed that it was split right down the party lines.

Just like the House.

Which means one very important thing to me:

Either a) no one has any opinion on their own

or b) There is some powerful rhetoric going around.

I have heard all kinds of things about this new bill which is just lovely:

1) "It will allow illegal aliens to get health care."

Really? Those Illegal Aliens with Illegal Social Security Numbers, I'd guess...

2) "It will allow people to force old people out of health care because of pre-existing issues"

(Even if that WAS true) Because these days when you are old, you are in such great hands...

3) "(Said with Sarcasm) The Government has done such a great job with public education..."

Yeah, it's good that every American child is in private school... What? They aren't? You'd think We the People would pay for the better option... it's available!

4) Let the market control it! If people don't want it, they will pay for the better course!

Right, over the last 50 years people have chosen, by letting the market decide, that they want to pay $500 for a 60 minute visit. People have chosen, by letting the market decide, that they want to give up health care for themselves so that their children will live... Somehow I think the market has gotten smarter than us and are taking advantage of us. They banded together to charge us insane amounts of money.

5) That's not because of the market, that's because of frivolous lawsuits!

Perhaps that is somewhat true; but my mother sacrificed herself for us in the 80's, long before it was hip to sue... I remember a number of times when she would say "I'm sorry, we can't take you to the doctor, we can't afford it." She was a single mom, with her own business (Read: No health insurance-Even if she had it for everyone else, she could never afford it for herself; she was the boss). My dad was self-employed, with no health insurance. So my sister and I, we just laid low and hoped that no big diseases would hit us...

The problem is, big companies have health insurance, poor people have government mandated health insurance. So this lack of health insurance only hurts us, the middle class.

As a running talley for you guys: Kai has cost us $1,902 in health insurance premiums, and $2,160 out of our pocket, payable right now, in Cash (Because our Health insurance has a $5,000 deductable). So far we have paid $4,000 for that baby (He's worth it), and that is what the Market has let happen, that will triple by the time he is born, to $13,000 out of pocket, payable right now, in cash.

So forgive me if I don't want to hear "Let the Market control it!", the Market has decided that we get to be billed twice; once for the outrageous medical bills which we pay for in full and a second time just in case the outrageous becomes insane.

Look, Republcians; if you don't like the bill, that's cool... if you are voting against it because all the other Republicans will hate you for it, then I will never forgive you. But since EVERY Republcian voted against it and EVERY Democrat voted for it, it very much seems like no one actually cares about the bill, they just voted because everyone else was doing it.

-Me

Here's fair:

So, when we got back from Japan, we decided to become upstanding members of society. I was not so good with my life before I went to KPI and got my Cognitive Therepied, and then went off to be a reponsible Teacher in Japan. It's amazing what that has done with my life. Upon our return, we decided to correct our previous errors.

When we came back, I got my credit report (What a mess) and we decided to try to fix it.

We discovered a big problem from US Bank in Colorado. So, on on of our trips to Colorado, we went into the bank and asked them about it.

They had no record of me, or of my account, or any issue therein.

I couldn't remember anything about it, really... I knew it had something to do with my overdraft protection, but it's been four years and two lifestyles ago, I can't even remember my address.

So we decide it's on the "Challenge" list. We will challenge it and they will remove it some day.

Nope.

They served me papers!

I ASKED them, I WANTED to fix the problem, and they wouldn't help me. Now they want to take me to court!

The worst part is that I have two choices: Settle out of court and pay $1,150 RIGHT NOW (No exceptions, no grace period) or go to court, (I'd have to plead guilty, after all, I have proof that I WENT TO TRY TO SOLVE this in JUNE), then I'd owe $2500 (Court fees and the like) And that, too, would be RIGHT NOW...

What happened is: They sent the thing off to collections, the collections group couldn't find me (I was in Japan), but, of course, there is no communication between US BANK and their collections agency, so when we came in to try to fix it like civilized people, they couldn't find me... so they turned me away... Then the collection agency finally found me! And what did they do?

They simply serve me papers!

What in the hell do these people think they are doing?!?

Do I have $1,150? Yeah, we do... It means we don't do anything for Christmas, though. We ARE preparing for a baby...

So, thank you US Bank, you just took away Christmas for us. Good Job! Our first Christmas back in the States in three years.

(this is not a plea for donations, this is a "Screwed up Justice" thing. Sure, we owed the money, but if they hadn't turned us away in June, it would have been paid off by now in small, easy to manage, payments... instead of completely depleating all of our resources right at Christmas...)

This is why (Republicans out there) Capitalism doesn't work so well: They don't care about me, it's not important. There is no check or balance to stop them from ruining me, my family, whatever. Because they have millions of other families out there that they can get money from. There is no reprucussion from behving badly.

This is why the Deomcrats say government needs to interveine. Is that the right answer? I don't know... probably not. But saying "Let the market handle itself" means that even when you want to do the right thing, you will get screwed. And nothing you can do or say will fix this. US BANK doesn't need to worry about making me mad... I don't even live in Colorado. I'm not a potential customer.

All I can do is vent here...

Thanks for letting me vent :D

---(Unhappy, Broke) Me.