Had a conversation with a Conservative the day before elections. I don't know why I bother because the things they believe make me want to bang my head on a wall.
I said I pay income tax. He asked if I didn't mean payroll tax. Don't you love those talking points?
The really strange thing is, they believe payroll tax isn't income tax. I mean seriously believe that. On what planet is money withheld from your payroll that you don't get back at tax time not an income tax? On the Conservative planet where they see Social Security deductions, Medicare deductions and don't see the little goody called FEDERAL WITHHOLDING TAX. Ahem, excuse me for shouting.
Every year between January 1 and April 15, ALL working people file these forms with the Internal Revenue Service and whatever state they reside in. In my case the forms numbers are 1040 and IT-201. The amounts we use to fill in the blanks are based on forms our employers give us which show the amounts of money they withheld from our payroll. In case you missed it, our payroll equals the amount of INCOME we received from them.
Now, I don't know about anyone else, but I have never received every penny of my Federal Withholding Tax or My NY State Withholding Tax back from either of those two entities. As a matter of fact, due to Hubby's business there have been years in which we have had to pay MORE to both of those entities. As a matter of fact a perusal of 10 years of income tax forms informed me that there were years in which we paid as much as $1500 more in INCOME TAX over what was deducted from my earnings.
Hey! If I was a billionaire Mormon, I could pay 10 times what I make annually to a slick accountant so I only had to pay $0 in INCOME TAX. Unfortunately on an average income of $20,000 give or take a grand or two, I pay 15% of my INCOME back in TAXES and that's BEFORE I add in my deduction for Social Security and Medicare which I may not ever get back because Conservatives believe those two "ENTITLEMENTS" are bankrupting our country.
Uhhh, no. Our country is in debt because people who can afford it most easily have stopped paying their fair share of income taxes. Too many loopholes through which they slide in their efforts to feed their need for greed. They hide their money in Swiss bank accounts or offshore tax havens and then claim that the poorest of this country are standing in line with their hands out to hide their own selfish behavior.
They are why the middle class is disappearing. They make their money and hold onto as much of it as they can by sending jobs overseas where they don't have to pay higher American wages. Then they hold onto more of it by refusing to pay the income tax on their ill gotten gains. Thankfully this past election showed me that not all of my fellow Americans are buying into their claptrap. Now, I'm willing to pay more tax to hold their feet to the fire, so let the Bush Tax Cuts EXPIRE.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Moochers Get All The Free Stuff
With Hubby's illness and the mounting medical bills, there's been a lot of stress in my life. That stress has cost me a long term client, the 93 year old lady that I've been visiting twice a week since 2007. I don't miss her.
She is in a program the state of New York offers to higher income elderly. They have to pay a portion of the bill themselves. The amount depends on how much their income is. It's available only to the elderly who don't qualify for Medicaid, and they may be asked to pay as much as half the bill. This program doesn't qualify the recipient for services like transportation to and from doctors. The aides servicing these cases are allowed to shop only once a month for these clients unless there is no family. Also, since the services rendered to these clients are considered to be largely personal care, chores like taking trash to the curb are the responsibility of the family. Which is where we ran into trouble on this case.
Her trash pick up was happening 15 minutes after I arrived on Mondays so I was taking care of it. Our office replaced my earlier client with one that required longer travel time so I was getting there 10 minutes later than normal which was approved by both client and her family. Then her hauler changed the pick up time for her trash collection and unfortunately it was a full hour before I would get there. I spoke to the client about that change which at the age of 93 went in one ear and out the other so I had our office call the family and explain. She did that, I was there in the office when she called.
Three weeks later when the trash was overflowing in the garage, she asked me why. I reminded her that I don't get there in time to put out her trash and before I could say because her hauler changed the time she exploded. "How DARE you take my time away from me!" As if it's my fault the office gave me a different case. Nothing I said pierced the rage so I went to the office and wrote out a grievance as I'm supposed to. Office called the family who weren't overly helpful. Like a 93 year old woman is capable of carrying the trash out on Monday, let alone if she remembers what day it is. Family is too busy to take care of it even though they drive right by her house on their way to work. Yeah, it really is that hard for them.
They gave the client a new aide and the family was notified that taking the trash to the curb isn't one of our duties. I also notified the office that I wouldn't take any more cases from that particular program. I would prefer the lower income moochers I keep hearing about from the families of the people in this program. They and their families are grateful for what services they receive. Not so the more affluent clients families. They have an over developed sense of entitlement.
I really hadn't thought much about it until this morning while reading the doom and gloom from those Conservatives who are rather rageful that their Boy Romney lost. After the 19th or so time I read a statement along the lines of Obama supporters voting for "that free stuff", I started thinking about the 30 or so clients I have serviced in the past 5 years and the other situations I am aware of with other aide's clients.
Even though these program clients pay for a portion of their services, they still benefit from a partial payment through a state grant. When they don't get a service, they're very vocal about those who do without any acknowledgement of the fact that their monthly income is twice that of the Medicaid clients in the other program.
My stress level is at Defcon 5 over things like:
The 93 year old with the trash problem plus the time her daughter canceled taking her to a doctor's appointment so she could take her dog to the vet.
The 80 year old who got diaper rash because her family couldn't find the time to stop and get her Depends so she ran out of them and couldn't change her undergarment. She reused the same one for 3 days until my day to go there and I went to buy them. Out of my own money because her family hadn't dropped off any cash for me to shop with. Elder abuse task force placed her in a nursing home. Charged her son with neglect.
The 71 year old whose laundry I couldn't do for close to a month because her family couldn't understand that they needed to pick her up and take her to the bank so that she could withdraw the money needed for the machines in her building. A building that limits the use of laundry machines to 2 per tenant at a time. A month's worth of laundry won't fit 2 machines. I'm only there 2 hours a week. Mom failed inspection. Guess who family tried to blame? That failed because our office had placed numerous calls to family explaining that money was needed for laundry.
The 86 year old who had to drive himself to and from the eye doctor and he had to have his eyes dilated at that appointment. When the doctor found out he didn't have transportation, they kept him there for 4 hours until he could see. When the daughter finally panicked because she couldn't find her Dad, all we heard was how "all those welfare bums get rides, why can't her Dad?"
Got a hot flash for her, not all those "welfare bums" get transported. Only those without families locally do. Funny, those families are mostly low income and they manage to take time off to transport Mom or Dad to the doctors. We've never gotten calls from those low income families wondering why we didn't move the furniture to vacuum (not allowed by the state) or why we don't remove all the knick-knacks when we dust (not allowed by the state). They just go and visit and help take care of these things themselves.
The grief we get from the families and in some cases the clients who can afford to pay for services is tied up in their sense that they are entitled to free things simply because the families are too busy, or unwilling to help. In all but one of my cases from that program the clients and their families are Conservatives. The one client from that program that I still have doesn't have that sense of entitlement plus has assistance with whatever she needs from her daughter and son-in-law. They are Liberals. She never complains that anyone gets more assistance than she does, plus she donates as often as possible to our local Rescue Mission and to the Salvation Army. So people less fortunate than she can be helped. Something my Conservative former clients and families don't do because..."Moochers get enough free stuff".
She is in a program the state of New York offers to higher income elderly. They have to pay a portion of the bill themselves. The amount depends on how much their income is. It's available only to the elderly who don't qualify for Medicaid, and they may be asked to pay as much as half the bill. This program doesn't qualify the recipient for services like transportation to and from doctors. The aides servicing these cases are allowed to shop only once a month for these clients unless there is no family. Also, since the services rendered to these clients are considered to be largely personal care, chores like taking trash to the curb are the responsibility of the family. Which is where we ran into trouble on this case.
Her trash pick up was happening 15 minutes after I arrived on Mondays so I was taking care of it. Our office replaced my earlier client with one that required longer travel time so I was getting there 10 minutes later than normal which was approved by both client and her family. Then her hauler changed the pick up time for her trash collection and unfortunately it was a full hour before I would get there. I spoke to the client about that change which at the age of 93 went in one ear and out the other so I had our office call the family and explain. She did that, I was there in the office when she called.
Three weeks later when the trash was overflowing in the garage, she asked me why. I reminded her that I don't get there in time to put out her trash and before I could say because her hauler changed the time she exploded. "How DARE you take my time away from me!" As if it's my fault the office gave me a different case. Nothing I said pierced the rage so I went to the office and wrote out a grievance as I'm supposed to. Office called the family who weren't overly helpful. Like a 93 year old woman is capable of carrying the trash out on Monday, let alone if she remembers what day it is. Family is too busy to take care of it even though they drive right by her house on their way to work. Yeah, it really is that hard for them.
They gave the client a new aide and the family was notified that taking the trash to the curb isn't one of our duties. I also notified the office that I wouldn't take any more cases from that particular program. I would prefer the lower income moochers I keep hearing about from the families of the people in this program. They and their families are grateful for what services they receive. Not so the more affluent clients families. They have an over developed sense of entitlement.
I really hadn't thought much about it until this morning while reading the doom and gloom from those Conservatives who are rather rageful that their Boy Romney lost. After the 19th or so time I read a statement along the lines of Obama supporters voting for "that free stuff", I started thinking about the 30 or so clients I have serviced in the past 5 years and the other situations I am aware of with other aide's clients.
Even though these program clients pay for a portion of their services, they still benefit from a partial payment through a state grant. When they don't get a service, they're very vocal about those who do without any acknowledgement of the fact that their monthly income is twice that of the Medicaid clients in the other program.
My stress level is at Defcon 5 over things like:
The 93 year old with the trash problem plus the time her daughter canceled taking her to a doctor's appointment so she could take her dog to the vet.
The 80 year old who got diaper rash because her family couldn't find the time to stop and get her Depends so she ran out of them and couldn't change her undergarment. She reused the same one for 3 days until my day to go there and I went to buy them. Out of my own money because her family hadn't dropped off any cash for me to shop with. Elder abuse task force placed her in a nursing home. Charged her son with neglect.
The 71 year old whose laundry I couldn't do for close to a month because her family couldn't understand that they needed to pick her up and take her to the bank so that she could withdraw the money needed for the machines in her building. A building that limits the use of laundry machines to 2 per tenant at a time. A month's worth of laundry won't fit 2 machines. I'm only there 2 hours a week. Mom failed inspection. Guess who family tried to blame? That failed because our office had placed numerous calls to family explaining that money was needed for laundry.
The 86 year old who had to drive himself to and from the eye doctor and he had to have his eyes dilated at that appointment. When the doctor found out he didn't have transportation, they kept him there for 4 hours until he could see. When the daughter finally panicked because she couldn't find her Dad, all we heard was how "all those welfare bums get rides, why can't her Dad?"
Got a hot flash for her, not all those "welfare bums" get transported. Only those without families locally do. Funny, those families are mostly low income and they manage to take time off to transport Mom or Dad to the doctors. We've never gotten calls from those low income families wondering why we didn't move the furniture to vacuum (not allowed by the state) or why we don't remove all the knick-knacks when we dust (not allowed by the state). They just go and visit and help take care of these things themselves.
The grief we get from the families and in some cases the clients who can afford to pay for services is tied up in their sense that they are entitled to free things simply because the families are too busy, or unwilling to help. In all but one of my cases from that program the clients and their families are Conservatives. The one client from that program that I still have doesn't have that sense of entitlement plus has assistance with whatever she needs from her daughter and son-in-law. They are Liberals. She never complains that anyone gets more assistance than she does, plus she donates as often as possible to our local Rescue Mission and to the Salvation Army. So people less fortunate than she can be helped. Something my Conservative former clients and families don't do because..."Moochers get enough free stuff".
Monday, November 5, 2012
Rebuilding The Gilded Age
A conversation with my Mom's oldest brother this weekend informed me that I am no longer the lone Democrat in a family of Republicans. Nearly 70 years ago when he registered to vote for the first time, he did so as a Republican. This year he changed his affiliation to the Democratic Party. This information that he shared with me didn't occur during a political conversation. It happened as we were discussing a History Channel program I spent time watching this past week.
"The Men Who Built America", Vanderbilt, Scott, Rockefeller, Carnegie, Frick, Morgan, Ford and Edison. All captains behind the growth of railroads, coal, oil, steel, automobiles, banking and electricity. All grew supremely wealthy at a time when American Workers could be bought for an average of $1.20 a week. If profits were down for the company owners, workers were fired, those duties were added to the remaining worker's day and pay would be cut in half.
There were no regulations, few safety measures and if you were injured beyond the point of ever being able to work again, well, you were on your own. You were fortunate if you had sons of 9 or 10 who could find a 60 hour a week job to support your family. Doubly fortunate if your sons and daughters were old enough to have families of their own and an adult breadwinner who could take on the task of supporting you. This wasn't as much of a burden as it sounds today because life expectancy was considerably less than it is now.
While you were struggling to make ends meet, your employer was attending balls, building block long residences to house their families and their art collections. They were taking cruises, vacationing in the Adirondacks in homes that although used for a few short months a year, were nearly as opulent as their New York residences. For some, philanthropy became an interest, but not until decisions they made caused death and destruction. However many libraries, schools and museums they built, they seemed to ignore the workers upon whose backs these grand edifices were erected.
Never did it occur to them to increase wages, correct safety issues or offer pensions so the elderly or infirm employees were not such a burden to their families when they were used up and incapable of working those 60 hour weeks. This was the topic of conversation when my life long Republican uncle said that he had changed party affiliation because "today's GOP is dangerous".
Rather than accepting that their policies have contributed to the current economic climate, they continue upon a path that benefits the few over the many. Corporations could be said to be people if one factors in the people that work for them, however, the policies of today are intended to benefit the bottom line of the corporate fat cats running them rather than the people who actually do the work.
Policies that strip the elderly, infirm and poor of any benefit they have earned through their labors. Policies that have allowed those at the top of the heap to hang onto and even take more from the pie leaving less to be fed to those below them who actually do the work which allows them to reap the profit. Policies which take from the people to give to the Pentagon so they may wage war on other countries and call it defense of the American Way of Life.
I think he's right, today's GOP really is dangerous and I can't see any way of stopping them unless we vote for humanity and not corporate welfare. The problem is, history isn't popular among the people who really should pay attention to it.
"The Men Who Built America", Vanderbilt, Scott, Rockefeller, Carnegie, Frick, Morgan, Ford and Edison. All captains behind the growth of railroads, coal, oil, steel, automobiles, banking and electricity. All grew supremely wealthy at a time when American Workers could be bought for an average of $1.20 a week. If profits were down for the company owners, workers were fired, those duties were added to the remaining worker's day and pay would be cut in half.
There were no regulations, few safety measures and if you were injured beyond the point of ever being able to work again, well, you were on your own. You were fortunate if you had sons of 9 or 10 who could find a 60 hour a week job to support your family. Doubly fortunate if your sons and daughters were old enough to have families of their own and an adult breadwinner who could take on the task of supporting you. This wasn't as much of a burden as it sounds today because life expectancy was considerably less than it is now.
While you were struggling to make ends meet, your employer was attending balls, building block long residences to house their families and their art collections. They were taking cruises, vacationing in the Adirondacks in homes that although used for a few short months a year, were nearly as opulent as their New York residences. For some, philanthropy became an interest, but not until decisions they made caused death and destruction. However many libraries, schools and museums they built, they seemed to ignore the workers upon whose backs these grand edifices were erected.
Never did it occur to them to increase wages, correct safety issues or offer pensions so the elderly or infirm employees were not such a burden to their families when they were used up and incapable of working those 60 hour weeks. This was the topic of conversation when my life long Republican uncle said that he had changed party affiliation because "today's GOP is dangerous".
Rather than accepting that their policies have contributed to the current economic climate, they continue upon a path that benefits the few over the many. Corporations could be said to be people if one factors in the people that work for them, however, the policies of today are intended to benefit the bottom line of the corporate fat cats running them rather than the people who actually do the work.
Policies that strip the elderly, infirm and poor of any benefit they have earned through their labors. Policies that have allowed those at the top of the heap to hang onto and even take more from the pie leaving less to be fed to those below them who actually do the work which allows them to reap the profit. Policies which take from the people to give to the Pentagon so they may wage war on other countries and call it defense of the American Way of Life.
I think he's right, today's GOP really is dangerous and I can't see any way of stopping them unless we vote for humanity and not corporate welfare. The problem is, history isn't popular among the people who really should pay attention to it.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Rose Gardens, Rainbows and Golden Unicorns
I find myself wondering how the generations of people younger than I am got the idea that life was a piece of cake? That they could be anything they want to be with the least amount of effort on their part? In what alternate universe do people walk out the doors of the institutions of learning into high paying jobs that meet every want without any effort on their part? Boggles the mind. Who are these people anyways?
A few days ago, comic Jamie Kilstein was tweeting his opinion regarding the President's use of drones in the Middle East. He was calling the President a child killer, like no child ever died in the Middle East at any hand other than ours. I proposed that drones used were saving the life of our military men and women since it wasn't their boots on the ground that were being used. I strongly suggested that if Mr. Kilstein was so worried about those drones, he should volunteer to put his boots on the ground instead of running his mouth in Twitter. It wasn't the smartest move I've ever made in my life. Jamie Kilstein has FANS. They did not like my opinion.
Mr Kilstein made one defensive comment to me and then let his fans do his dirty work for him. It might have gotten much worse than it did if I hadn't been clear that my objection to his tweet was that he WASN'T objecting to WAR, just to the use of drones. Somehow, in my mind, calling the President a child killer for using drones against the Taliban isn't objecting to war. Oddly when I pointed out what the Taliban themselves were doing to children, which in the case of Malala was to target a SCHOOL of them to shoot a 14 year old, no one had a single thing to say about that.
It isn't just drones that kill innocent men women and children, it's war. Period.
Unfortunately, we the people with our reverence for Capitalism which few truly understand, we create a climate of war. For the top 10% it means profit. For the other 90% it means death. As long as we continue to buy into allowing the few to profit on the backs of the many, we are buying into war and the use of drones to kill.
We're a society which believes all good things come to those who exist, simply because. There is no credit given for effort, and there is little effort expended that isn't there because of an expectation of rewards far beyond that which the effort expended deserves.
Then there's the internet. A place where we can sit safely in our homes and offices and pretend to be much more important than we really are.
A few days ago, comic Jamie Kilstein was tweeting his opinion regarding the President's use of drones in the Middle East. He was calling the President a child killer, like no child ever died in the Middle East at any hand other than ours. I proposed that drones used were saving the life of our military men and women since it wasn't their boots on the ground that were being used. I strongly suggested that if Mr. Kilstein was so worried about those drones, he should volunteer to put his boots on the ground instead of running his mouth in Twitter. It wasn't the smartest move I've ever made in my life. Jamie Kilstein has FANS. They did not like my opinion.
Mr Kilstein made one defensive comment to me and then let his fans do his dirty work for him. It might have gotten much worse than it did if I hadn't been clear that my objection to his tweet was that he WASN'T objecting to WAR, just to the use of drones. Somehow, in my mind, calling the President a child killer for using drones against the Taliban isn't objecting to war. Oddly when I pointed out what the Taliban themselves were doing to children, which in the case of Malala was to target a SCHOOL of them to shoot a 14 year old, no one had a single thing to say about that.
It isn't just drones that kill innocent men women and children, it's war. Period.
Unfortunately, we the people with our reverence for Capitalism which few truly understand, we create a climate of war. For the top 10% it means profit. For the other 90% it means death. As long as we continue to buy into allowing the few to profit on the backs of the many, we are buying into war and the use of drones to kill.
We're a society which believes all good things come to those who exist, simply because. There is no credit given for effort, and there is little effort expended that isn't there because of an expectation of rewards far beyond that which the effort expended deserves.
Then there's the internet. A place where we can sit safely in our homes and offices and pretend to be much more important than we really are.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Hubby's Little Bump
It turned out to be fatty tissue that grew over the dissolving sutures. In the area where the bump grew the sutures are close together and quite numerous. This doesn't allow the sutures to dissolve the way they're supposed to and the friction causes fatty tissue to over grow them. The doctor says this happens more often to people that are skinny like Hubby is. Who knew fat prevents more fat from forming over something like this? One would almost think a fat person would grow fatty tissue easier.
No antibiotics, no pus to test for bacteria, NO MRSA. I'm so relieved I'm almost in tears. I couldn't wrap my mind around the possibility of having another MRSA victim in my family. It was scary, believe me.
The good news, if there is such a thing right now is that Hubby told the surgeon that there was no way we'd be able to pay his bill in a timely manner. This is a lot of debt to find yourself in when you're as old as we are. The surgeon told Hubby not to worry about it, just send whatever we could, even if it was only $5 a month. The doctor told Hubby that he could see we were working people who took our debts and responsibilities for those debts seriously and would do the best we can to take care of things. Having something like that said to him right now is equal to the best medicine money can buy.
I have a card with the billing department phone number and will give them a call tomorrow to let them know how Hubby and I decided we'd work this. Everyone is going to get money every month. The smaller bills will get more right now so that we can pay them off and then add that money to the bigger ones.
I've also talked to my doctor about not taking some of the supplements I've been on. Those have gotten very expensive, and I'm going to need some of that money towards the bills. She was great and reduced them to three and gave them priorities so I'd know that if I have a little extra to spend, which ones she'd prefer I spend it on.
So, here I sit with a wounded Hubby, 2 cats I can't afford, a mess of bills I need to pay and a grin on my face. You don't have to be crazy to get through life, it just helps.
No antibiotics, no pus to test for bacteria, NO MRSA. I'm so relieved I'm almost in tears. I couldn't wrap my mind around the possibility of having another MRSA victim in my family. It was scary, believe me.
The good news, if there is such a thing right now is that Hubby told the surgeon that there was no way we'd be able to pay his bill in a timely manner. This is a lot of debt to find yourself in when you're as old as we are. The surgeon told Hubby not to worry about it, just send whatever we could, even if it was only $5 a month. The doctor told Hubby that he could see we were working people who took our debts and responsibilities for those debts seriously and would do the best we can to take care of things. Having something like that said to him right now is equal to the best medicine money can buy.
I have a card with the billing department phone number and will give them a call tomorrow to let them know how Hubby and I decided we'd work this. Everyone is going to get money every month. The smaller bills will get more right now so that we can pay them off and then add that money to the bigger ones.
I've also talked to my doctor about not taking some of the supplements I've been on. Those have gotten very expensive, and I'm going to need some of that money towards the bills. She was great and reduced them to three and gave them priorities so I'd know that if I have a little extra to spend, which ones she'd prefer I spend it on.
So, here I sit with a wounded Hubby, 2 cats I can't afford, a mess of bills I need to pay and a grin on my face. You don't have to be crazy to get through life, it just helps.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Getting Blood From A Stone, The High Cost Of Healthcare
Problem: Undiagnosed Crohn's Disease which caused scar tissue that lead to a small intestine blockage. There were no symptoms prior to the blockage and had Hubby been seeing a physician regularly they never would have diagnosed it. The blockage required a day in the ER followed by surgery plus 3 days in the hospital.
Hospital bill...............................................$32,780.00
Emergency room bill.........................................810.00
Surgeon........................................................9,866.00
Anesthesia.....................................................1,100.00
Cat Scan..........................................................310.00
Abdominal Xray.................................................82.00
Total debt..................................................$42,948.00 and we are not sure all bills are in.
Also, Hub has developed an infection. It may be MRSA. He has what looks like a boil on the edge of the incision site. We'll know on Tuesday, and then we'll have additional medical bills for more treatment. It was under the steri-strips holding his incision closed so he got it in the hospital. On his first and only stay. At an award winning hospital according to NYS Health Department.
We have no insurance, and thanks to Wall Street and their shenanigans have lived on $19,000 a year for the past 6 years.
I had planned on giving up our satellite in order to have the money to pay towards the bill, however, NYS now DEMANDS that two of the business taxes must be filed online, and notifications are now emailed. This means I MUST maintain an internet connection. Since Winter is approaching, we are looking at an additional $400 every few weeks to heat our home. So, there is absolutely no way to reduce our living expenses to find enough money to pay any bill with enough money per month to pay it off in a timely manner.
We have requested charitable assistance with the hospital bill. The hospital has offered half off, and we are asking for help with the half we are going to have to pay. My income is presently frozen due to that request. I had lost clients to nursing homes and the company didn't have any new clients to give me. Now they do, and I can't take them until we receive the determination. Then I'm going to have to push for full time instead of the 24 hours I was working.
I'm not even going to look at how Hubby will manage to pay for his Medicare which he will be getting in 2013. Then there will be my Medicare in 2014. Which I will have to pay for out of my work earnings since I can't retire with full benefit until 2015. Heavy sigh.
People who have no idea what medical care costs don't want to pay for health insurance. They have no idea how quickly they could need medical services and how much debt they will incur without it. There's a tremendous rate of inflation going on in the area of medical costs. Our bill, in the year 2012 is higher than the combined costs of ER services, hospital stay and surgery for our youngest son and his wife in 2007. Their bills combined equaled $30,000. He had appendicitis, she had a prolapsed bladder that required surgical repair. She was in the hospital a day longer than Hubby. This means that medical costs have more than doubled in 5 years. Controlling the cost of health insurance isn't going to make much difference if there is no control over how much can be charged for services.
I think that before people claim we have the best healthcare in the world, they need to sit down and research the number of deaths caused by medical mistakes, the number of deadly infections hospital patients acquire and the infant mortality rate here in the US. They might find we are no better than those countries that have single payer systems. Being better doesn't mean being the most expensive.
Hospital bill...............................................$32,780.00
Emergency room bill.........................................810.00
Surgeon........................................................9,866.00
Anesthesia.....................................................1,100.00
Cat Scan..........................................................310.00
Abdominal Xray.................................................82.00
Total debt..................................................$42,948.00 and we are not sure all bills are in.
Also, Hub has developed an infection. It may be MRSA. He has what looks like a boil on the edge of the incision site. We'll know on Tuesday, and then we'll have additional medical bills for more treatment. It was under the steri-strips holding his incision closed so he got it in the hospital. On his first and only stay. At an award winning hospital according to NYS Health Department.
We have no insurance, and thanks to Wall Street and their shenanigans have lived on $19,000 a year for the past 6 years.
I had planned on giving up our satellite in order to have the money to pay towards the bill, however, NYS now DEMANDS that two of the business taxes must be filed online, and notifications are now emailed. This means I MUST maintain an internet connection. Since Winter is approaching, we are looking at an additional $400 every few weeks to heat our home. So, there is absolutely no way to reduce our living expenses to find enough money to pay any bill with enough money per month to pay it off in a timely manner.
We have requested charitable assistance with the hospital bill. The hospital has offered half off, and we are asking for help with the half we are going to have to pay. My income is presently frozen due to that request. I had lost clients to nursing homes and the company didn't have any new clients to give me. Now they do, and I can't take them until we receive the determination. Then I'm going to have to push for full time instead of the 24 hours I was working.
I'm not even going to look at how Hubby will manage to pay for his Medicare which he will be getting in 2013. Then there will be my Medicare in 2014. Which I will have to pay for out of my work earnings since I can't retire with full benefit until 2015. Heavy sigh.
People who have no idea what medical care costs don't want to pay for health insurance. They have no idea how quickly they could need medical services and how much debt they will incur without it. There's a tremendous rate of inflation going on in the area of medical costs. Our bill, in the year 2012 is higher than the combined costs of ER services, hospital stay and surgery for our youngest son and his wife in 2007. Their bills combined equaled $30,000. He had appendicitis, she had a prolapsed bladder that required surgical repair. She was in the hospital a day longer than Hubby. This means that medical costs have more than doubled in 5 years. Controlling the cost of health insurance isn't going to make much difference if there is no control over how much can be charged for services.
I think that before people claim we have the best healthcare in the world, they need to sit down and research the number of deaths caused by medical mistakes, the number of deadly infections hospital patients acquire and the infant mortality rate here in the US. They might find we are no better than those countries that have single payer systems. Being better doesn't mean being the most expensive.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Best Healthcare In The World, or Just The Most Expensive?
Hubby is improving in leaps and bounds, however, the bills for his care have started rolling in. This week we've had to throw ourselves on the mercy of our hospital administrators and seek relief from some of the bill. We haven't received all of the bills yet and given the amount we do know we owe, the total will run somewhere in the $35,000 range. For those readers who are thinking we should have been paying for health insurance, our income has dropped so significantly in the past 3 years that we are only $1700 a year over the amount that would have qualified us for full payment of our bill through the charity established by the hospital.
On Tuesday we submitted the paperwork which is based on Hub's projected income and my current income, which is some $200 a month less than it was in June. The county agencies haven't been taking new cases so there has been nothing to replace cases I lost to nursing homes. Once the paperwork has been submitted, our income can't change until after the determination on the amount they're willing to forgive. It's usually half, and then they set up monthly payments. Of course, the way our luck has been going, on Friday I finally got offered new cases and I can't take them. The number of hours offered aren't enough to make much difference in the determination, however, they'd be enough to stop the process so we would have to resubmit the application. I'm not going to say I make this much, increase my income and not report it.
I'm also not going to obsess over what we owe. There are people out there in worse shape than we are. Even people with insurance are on the verge of bankruptcy due to their medical bills.
I was talking to my brother-in-law yesterday. His wife had fallen, shattered her shoulder and needed to have it replaced. The mechanical shoulder parts alone cost $16,000. The surgeon's bill was another $16,000. Assorted other charges, hospital, rehab, etc. came to $53,000+. Total of her bill was over $85,000. They have great insurance which costs them a pretty penny monthly so most of the bill, minus co-pays and deductables got paid.
While they may be in decent shape with their medical bills, there are people out there experiencing the same problems without their great insurance. Even Medicare doesn't pay what people think it pays. Which Hubby will have in 8 more months. I think the "if it weren't for bad luck we'd have no luck at all" idea applies here.
Hubby's stay was at an award winning hospital here in Central NY. They've made significant changes since both my parents acquired MRSA back in the 2005-2006 care years. However, I still saw mistakes which could have had the potential to interfere with the recovery of my husband.
From his time in the ER, there were nurses ignoring the alarms from the IV pump. Every time Hubby moved and he did a lot of that because he was vomiting, the alarm would indicate air in the system. I'd have to open the door to the main room and ask for assistance because it was scaring me. They'd bleed it out and reattach it and then ignore it again. These alarms communicate with the main desks, yet you have to go find someone to care for it.
The day after surgery, Hubby's IV infiltrated. No one noticed it, despite the fact that the patients are supposed to be checked every hour by someone. Usually an infiltrated IV causes a localized swelling and if left untreated will then spread as far as it can. Hubby's spread to his elbow. His hand and arm were swollen to 3 times it's normal size and he was hallucinating from it. I had gone home for a couple of hours and he had to ask his roommate's wife to ring for the nurse because his remote had been placed out of his reach when they took his blood pressure. Seeing a clock and TV on the ceiling scared him. They aren't supposed to move like that, you know?
They brought him towels, wash cloths and clean gowns so he could wash up. Then they didn't disconnect anything so he could get up and use them. He had an IV on his left side, inflatable booties on his legs which were connected at the foot of the bed and an NG tube connected to the wall behind his head on his right side. A nurse came in later in the day and discovered that he hadn't changed and was in the process of speaking to him about his not cooperating with the cleanliness keeps the germs down agenda. I very calmly pointed out that he was hooked to the vacuum on the wall and nobody seemed to grasp that it should be disconnected long enough for him to get up and do so. DUH!
The surgeon ordered the NG tube disconnected around 10 am on Thursday. The order went to the dietician to discuss the low residue diet he needed to be on and she did so at 11 that morning. However, the tube was still in when they sent his lunch up at 12:30. It seems that the floor staff felt that an order for continuing the NG tube post surgically, written on Wednesday and an order to discontinue it written on Thursday were "conflicting orders requiring clarification". The tube came out around 3 that day. First thing he did was head to the patients bathroom to wash up thoroughly and shave. Then he took a walk in the hallway with me. The booties weren't as successful in keeping the edema in his lower legs and feet down simply because he couldn't walk as much as he should have.
Fortunately none of these mistakes interfered with the process of recovery, but every one of them had the potential to do so. Local doctors do everything in their power to either avoid sending patients to the hospital or to get them released as soon as possible. Hubby was released a day early with the advice to go home and shower immediately and wash all clothing that remained in the hospital during his stay. That advice tells me that despite claims to the contrary, superbugs like MRSA or C. dificile are not things of the past. So far, we seem to be clear of both. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed.
On Tuesday we submitted the paperwork which is based on Hub's projected income and my current income, which is some $200 a month less than it was in June. The county agencies haven't been taking new cases so there has been nothing to replace cases I lost to nursing homes. Once the paperwork has been submitted, our income can't change until after the determination on the amount they're willing to forgive. It's usually half, and then they set up monthly payments. Of course, the way our luck has been going, on Friday I finally got offered new cases and I can't take them. The number of hours offered aren't enough to make much difference in the determination, however, they'd be enough to stop the process so we would have to resubmit the application. I'm not going to say I make this much, increase my income and not report it.
I'm also not going to obsess over what we owe. There are people out there in worse shape than we are. Even people with insurance are on the verge of bankruptcy due to their medical bills.
I was talking to my brother-in-law yesterday. His wife had fallen, shattered her shoulder and needed to have it replaced. The mechanical shoulder parts alone cost $16,000. The surgeon's bill was another $16,000. Assorted other charges, hospital, rehab, etc. came to $53,000+. Total of her bill was over $85,000. They have great insurance which costs them a pretty penny monthly so most of the bill, minus co-pays and deductables got paid.
While they may be in decent shape with their medical bills, there are people out there experiencing the same problems without their great insurance. Even Medicare doesn't pay what people think it pays. Which Hubby will have in 8 more months. I think the "if it weren't for bad luck we'd have no luck at all" idea applies here.
Hubby's stay was at an award winning hospital here in Central NY. They've made significant changes since both my parents acquired MRSA back in the 2005-2006 care years. However, I still saw mistakes which could have had the potential to interfere with the recovery of my husband.
From his time in the ER, there were nurses ignoring the alarms from the IV pump. Every time Hubby moved and he did a lot of that because he was vomiting, the alarm would indicate air in the system. I'd have to open the door to the main room and ask for assistance because it was scaring me. They'd bleed it out and reattach it and then ignore it again. These alarms communicate with the main desks, yet you have to go find someone to care for it.
The day after surgery, Hubby's IV infiltrated. No one noticed it, despite the fact that the patients are supposed to be checked every hour by someone. Usually an infiltrated IV causes a localized swelling and if left untreated will then spread as far as it can. Hubby's spread to his elbow. His hand and arm were swollen to 3 times it's normal size and he was hallucinating from it. I had gone home for a couple of hours and he had to ask his roommate's wife to ring for the nurse because his remote had been placed out of his reach when they took his blood pressure. Seeing a clock and TV on the ceiling scared him. They aren't supposed to move like that, you know?
They brought him towels, wash cloths and clean gowns so he could wash up. Then they didn't disconnect anything so he could get up and use them. He had an IV on his left side, inflatable booties on his legs which were connected at the foot of the bed and an NG tube connected to the wall behind his head on his right side. A nurse came in later in the day and discovered that he hadn't changed and was in the process of speaking to him about his not cooperating with the cleanliness keeps the germs down agenda. I very calmly pointed out that he was hooked to the vacuum on the wall and nobody seemed to grasp that it should be disconnected long enough for him to get up and do so. DUH!
The surgeon ordered the NG tube disconnected around 10 am on Thursday. The order went to the dietician to discuss the low residue diet he needed to be on and she did so at 11 that morning. However, the tube was still in when they sent his lunch up at 12:30. It seems that the floor staff felt that an order for continuing the NG tube post surgically, written on Wednesday and an order to discontinue it written on Thursday were "conflicting orders requiring clarification". The tube came out around 3 that day. First thing he did was head to the patients bathroom to wash up thoroughly and shave. Then he took a walk in the hallway with me. The booties weren't as successful in keeping the edema in his lower legs and feet down simply because he couldn't walk as much as he should have.
Fortunately none of these mistakes interfered with the process of recovery, but every one of them had the potential to do so. Local doctors do everything in their power to either avoid sending patients to the hospital or to get them released as soon as possible. Hubby was released a day early with the advice to go home and shower immediately and wash all clothing that remained in the hospital during his stay. That advice tells me that despite claims to the contrary, superbugs like MRSA or C. dificile are not things of the past. So far, we seem to be clear of both. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed.
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