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| I will be self employed soon. It's scary.
Currently I have a group plan paid 100% by my employer. However, when I quit my job and go back to school in the fall to get my master's degree, I can either COBRA my plan (which would be about $650 a month) until that runs out, or be uninsured for at least six months until I can qualify for the Healthy Indiana Plan. I heard on Oprah that the new stimulus plan helps to cover part of the COBRA cost when one loses one's job, but I'm not sure how that would apply to me, who is leaving voluntarily. Anyway, that is not the main point.
The main point is, health insurance is not affordable. It is not feasible, either, for a low-income 20-something person, such as myself, who makes too much to qualify for medicaid yet not enough to shell out the money for personal, private insurance, to justify spending even $90-$150 a month for a high deductible "doomsday" plan. To pay $100 a month for a plan with a $5000 deductible (the consumer pays the first $5000 of all medical costs per year), would amount to a maximum of $6200 out of pocket expenses a year before the insurance provider even does anything!
Say a self-employed musician (my occupation) makes $20-$40k a year. She cuts her hand pretty bad cooking dinner one evening and needs to go get stitches. Because she has no employer paid awesome insurance plan, she is on a high deductible plan in case of huge emergencies. Unfortunately, she shells out $1000 at the ER getting her hand stitched up, but the $1200 she pays in insurance premiums is useless in this case.
These somewhat affordable high deductible plans are only useful in the event of large emergencies, such as hospitalizations, broken limbs, chronic diseases, etc. Nobody likes to think that those sort of things could happen to onesself, so it's very hard to justify spending the money on those sorts of plans.
I know some people would think, "Well, just get a job with health insurance." There simply aren't that many jobs out there with that benefit. And, if every self-employed person stopped doing their craft, the world would lose all persons in the arts, a vast majority of craftsmen and tradespeople, and freelance writers, consultants, and the like. Also, life isn't worth living if you're not happy.
Maybe I have no idea what I'm talking about, but I sure feel like one of the millions of people getting shat upon (or about to get shat upon) by the healthcare industry.
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| Whats new?
I'm now kind of the assistant manager at the bridal store. So if you need a dress, I got the hook up.
With that responsibility comes not much extra pay (I make less than half as much as my coworker, the manager, who is one year older than I). I have to be there FOREVER (40+ hours), and I absolutely loath my job. But, it's money, and hopefully I don't have to make a career out of it.
I've been rejected to every school I've applied to. I haven't heard back from UofChicago, New England Conservatory, or Boston University, but I'm guessing that those will be a big fat no as well.
I came very very close to going back to the Navy recruiting office.
David and I applied to go back to Butler for our Master's last Monday. I auditioned last Friday. I know I'll get in, but lets see if they want to give me a full ride.
As of right now, I'm in limbo. My lease is up June 6 and I don't have a new place to live because I don't know where I'll be. It's frustrating and I don't like it. David wants to live just me and him but it's expensive for just the two of us, especially when I'm the one paying for things. Hah.
I had to get new glasses. Not having insurance to cover things really sucks. Not that I ever had vision insurance before, but still...that's like half my paycheck for some stupid glasses.
To sum up the past six to eight months, I work all the time yet barely make enough to pay the bills, feel worthless and pretty much don't want to get out of bed in the morning. Some great time my 20's are supposed to be.
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| Blanche likes to sit under the Christmas tree and pretend she's a present. How cute.
P.S. I like chocolate ice cream. | | |
| i have decided that if i were ever to be on the receiving end of a diamond ring, (however unlikely), i would prefer a lab created stone, as they are:
1. cheaper
2. more ethical
3. cheaper. cheaper. cheaper.
aka a big fancy piece of bling would be a tenth of the price.
that's all. | | |
| so i accessed one of my annual free credit reports today. it was freaky to see who was checking up on my credit also. i think it's scary how anyone working at a bank, or some random credit card company trying to send you junk mail, can just access your information like that. capital one alone has looked me up about 20 times over the last two years. of course i also get junk mail from them about once a month also. anyway, it just makes me paranoid that people are looking at my information. the end. | | |
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