Today at church, I was stimulated to new heights of confusion at the stupidity of my fellow men. My bishop stood up, and taught a brief lesson about why we all need to get health insurance. He had an overhead of a medical bill and showed us how much it would have cost the person if they didn't have insurance. He told us that although many of us already have insurance, those of us who don't really need to get it. Oh! REALLY?!? I didn't realize that medical expenses could really add up! Now that I know, I'll rush out an get insurance straight away! I mean, geez people. Why do you think we don't have insurance? Cause we don't FEEL like it? No, it's because we can't afford it, dumbass. So after church, I ran into one of the members of the bishopric, and I mentioned to him my feelings on this. He directed me to speak to his wife, who informed me that I couldn't afford NOT to have insurance. I said, no really, I can't afford it. I asked her if I should stop making my car payment or what. She asked what I do. I told her that I am a dental technician, and it pays really well, but I still can't afford insurance. She told me I need to CHANGE JOBS and get one with benefits. Oh, just like that, huh? I told her that I don't have education or training to do anything else, and my job is pretty competitive, once you find something, you have to stick with it. She told me that, No, I really needed to just change jobs. I told her that I didn't think she understood the job market right now. She told me she did, her and her husband both are self employed and pay over $800 a month for insurance. I said that it's nice that she has those kinds of resources.
Then I ran into the bishop himself. I expressed my feelings on the issue to him, and he also told me that I couldn't afford to NOT have insurance. Was that part of the orientation or something? I told him that I really COULDN'T afford it, that I really want insurance and I've ran the numbers every way I could, and I simply can't afford it. He said that he guesses I'll find out when I get a $20,000 hospital bill. *!* I told him that I do know because I had to pay $2000 for my ankle hole and I STILL can't afford it. He seemed dubious.
I happen to know that my bishop works for American Airlines and make a 6 figure salary. Now it's all well and good for him to say that you can't afford to not have insurance, but I live in the real world. Some of us have to choose to pay bills and eat OR to have insurance. Hmmm. Tough decision. You would think the bishop would understand that. He deals all the time with people who can't make ends meet. What the fuck?
Another thing that bothered me today is that they have scheduled a primary activity (primary being the organization for kids 3-12) for Wednesday morning. Wednesday morning? Oh, cause I guess every single woman in the church is a stay at home mom that can just run the kids over to the activity in between baking bread and having her nails done! Yeah, I'm a single mother, and I have a little thing we call a job! Grr. How annoying! AND it's a swim party none the less. Like I can tell my son, who loves swimming even more than he loves video games, Oh no, sorry honey, you can't go to the swim party cause I'll be at work. Why don't you pile that on top of the anger you have for all the after school extracurricular activities and friend's parties that you've missed because of my job, roll that up with the feelings of betrayal you have for me going back to work when you were one, and pack that in real tight with the feelings of abandonment you have from your father moving away when you were three. That should make a nice little cocktail of anti-social behavior around the time you hit 15. But I digress. Fortunately, I called a lady who lives nearby, and she is willing to pick Ethan up and take him. Sadly, she actually lives in the neighborhood where the party is taking place, but she still agreed. I would have been annoyed, but she's a sweeter lady than myself.
In conclusion, people are dumb. Or maybe I need to not be so sensitive? Nah, it couldn't be MY fault!
6 comments:
Wow. If they spend over $800 on health insurance, then they are REALLY not living in our world. Although, it would be pretty cool to have that much money. If they were so concerned about everyone having health insurance, you would think that they would create some kind of cheapo church group insurance. Maybe that's next week's topic.
Eid is like Christmas or Easter to muslims, and I went to this Eid prayer thing, and the sermon was about sheep. About how you can use the wool and the skin and drink the milk and eat the meat. Yep. One of the two biggest sermons of the year, and they decided to talk about sheep. That was the last time I went to that mosque.
I think you missed the point. You SHOULD have bought a sheep and raised it on your patio! That would have been exciting!
what a weird sermon. most of the time you end up hearing about constancy or perdicitude, not get some damn insurance peasants.
I'm with you on this one. In December when we were having insurance crises about having the baby and such the bishop asked us if we were okay with insurance. We laughed in his face. He then said that it was a very serious matter and really important that we get it. We explained that we realized this but I was uninsurable in my pregnant and asthmatic state and that we made too much money to be on Medicaid. He said that the church could help us if it was merely a matter of making an payment on time (i.e. like $300). We again laughed and said it would be more like $20,000 we would owe for the baby. He was very concerned for us when we left. THe entire healthcare system in this country is messed up. Those that need insurance and don't get it with their jobs are screwed. We thought when they passed out that insurance survey last year they were maybe going to make a church insurance or find a solution for everyone, not rub it in our faces that we don't have any money yet somehow NEED to get insurance. :P
At the last Single Adult leadership meeting, Brother Passey said that the Stake leadership is very concerned about people without insurance and they were working on it. Apparently their earth shattering solution was to tell us we should get it. Brilliant!
Amen! I don't have insurance 'cause I have no money IN THE FIRST PLACE (ah, the excitement of being a poor grad student). I hope you requested that the congregation all pray for you so you don't get sick until you can check out that nifty insurance stuff.
PS - Money CAN buy happiness, I know that for a fact! Anyone who believes differently should give me their credit card immediately, because I have identified about $250 worth of fun in Nordstrom's shoe department, begging to be purchased!
Post a Comment