I know that I have a shit ton to write about (wedding, honeymoon, job) but here's the thing - the government shut down has me mad as hell. Not just because I'm an ardent Democrat (which I am), and not just because I grew up and live outside of DC (which I do). But the shutdown is actively hurting people that I care about. My sister works for the CDC, and has been deemed non-essential. Therefore, she's on furlough. My sister also has a husband, and two young children, who depend upon her income. Why do they depend on her? Because my sister and her husband made the decision, together, that she would work and he would take care of the twins. So while he does work part-time, his full-time job is taking care of my niece and nephew. Which means that they are down to a small fraction of the income they rely upon to survive. And I'm mad as hell.
I just don't get it. I honestly don't. How do politicians, who profess to work for their constituents, continue to actively work against the interests of those same constituents? I know a lot of people believe that the blame should be laid at the feet of both parties, but in this case its just not accurate. The Republicans are attempting to strong-arm the Democrats into defunding a LAW - a law that was passed by Congress, signed by the President, and deemed by the Supreme Court to be constitutional. That is not democracy. That is a child throwing a tantrum, and holding its breath until it gets its way. The ACA isn't perfect - there are modifications that could be made to improve its accessibility and affordability. But it is SO much better than what we currently have.
Before Palmer and I got married, my insurance cost over $300 each month. Every month. Until quite recently, I made $23,400 a year. Pre-tax. Insurance would have taken that down to $19,800. Rent, split with Palmer, is $800 a month. So that would take me down to $10,200. My cell phone plan, which I need for work? $1188. So now I have $9012 left over. Again, this is all pre-tax. How about parking? Oh, that's $120 a month. So that's $7572 left. Let's go back to taxes again. Assuming I qualified for the very lowest tax rate (which I don't), that'd be about 12% of my income. Now I have $4764 left to work with throughout the year. Oh, but can't forget auto insurance, which is about $1400 each year. And now I'm down to $3364. Divide that by 12. I have $280 a month to work with. That has to provide for food, clothes, gas, vet bills, contacts, and birth control. Oh! And the car loan! Which is another $45 a month. Do you see what I'm saying here? I work hard, and I make above the minimum wage, and I am STILL operating at a deficit because of the extreme costs of health insurance. And do you know what that $300/month health insurance got me? Extremely high (or non-existent, in the case of Dental and Vision) co-pays, and no coverage for birth control or depression medication. And THAT is supposed to be the ideal? Are you kidding?
Do you know what would have helped me? Having birth control covered, because that's $79 a month right there. Not having my rates raised for pre-existing conditions, like asthma and anemia. Not having my rates raised because of my recurrent major depression. Hell, having been able to be under my parents' health insurance until I was 26 would have saved $7200! Look, I know that insurance costs money. I know that insurance is, when you really look at it, a losing gamble. But here's the thing - by losing, you win. By buying insurance, you are hoping that you never have to use it. You want to not have to use it. Insurance isn't really there to make the day-to-day expenses cheaper. Yes, lower co-pays are amazing, and I missed my good insurance the entire time I was on the crappy one. But you know what I was grateful for? That when I had to go to urgent care for my broken toe, or my UTI that was transforming into a bladder infection, or my inflamed lymph node - THAT was when insurance was there. Because I paid a shit-load every month, I was covered in those instances when I would have otherwise been screwed. THAT is why we have insurance - so that when you break a leg, or get in a car accident, or have appendicitis - you've already paid in to the system, and now the system is paying you back. And you pray that you never need it. But when you do? It's a god-send.
So WHY is the Republican party so against every American having insurance? I honestly don't understand. If a person doesn't have insurance, but they have one of those pray-it-never-happens accidents, do you know what happens? They still get treated. You go to the emergency room with a broken leg and they have to treat you. And if you don't have insurance, do you know who pays? Everyone else that does.
So basically, the ACA is working to help every uninsured American get health coverage. Something that the Republicans have said they support - just not in the form of the ACA. Meanwhile, let's not forget that the ACA is law. I don't think I can repeat this enough - Congress passed it, the President signed it, and the Supreme Court declared it Constitutional. Yet the House GOP is holding the government hostage over something the American people have clearly, repeatedly, said they wanted. And their intransigence is causing my sister and her family to suffer. Instead of allowing more Americans to receive health coverage, the Republicans are actively harming those who've made their career out of public service.
And people say we should hold both parties accountable. As Jon Stewart said, this isn't a fender bender - this is the asshole causing the head-on collision.
