I am not a politically outspoken person. I have my opinions about it, but unless you are a close friend chances are you won’t hear it. I vote, but I don’t make a huge announcement out of it.

However I feel the need to voice my opinion on the HUGE debate going on with health care in our country right now. Yesterday on my way to work there were two men standing on a main corner in my town holding signs touting how horrible our president is and how the health care bill is such a bad thing.

I am not going to lie. I don’t know the nitty gritty of the bill. I know some of the basics and have picked up on some info simply because I work in a hospital and it is talked about often. I don’t have a super dramatic story about how I was denied coverage for a pre-existing condition. I don’t follow CNN’s every moment. I just know MY story and how I wish that there had been more options for me.

I was uninsured for most of my adult life.

My husband didn’t have insurance for 10 years.

I stopped going to school full time at 19, so I lost my benefits that were carried by my parents insurance plan. I was on my own. I truly didn’t care much, I really don’t get sick much and I was 19….invincible. I worked FULL TIME. I PAID TAXES. I was not a “lush”. I was not “scamming the system”.  My job simply did not offer benefits that were anywhere near affordable and they did not pay for any portion of them. I worked as a waitress…restaurant jobs are great for quick money, not so great for benefits.

There were a couple times during the years between 19 and 24 that having insurance would have helped me greatly. Like when I contracted pneumonia and waited until I was so sick that I had to be admitted to the hospital because I was hoping it would get better on it’s own. Like all the times I had to push through protesters to get into Planned Parenthood to pick up birth control so I could be responsible, since I couldn’t afford to go to a regular OBGYN. Like the days of agonizing pain when I had cavities that there was no way I could pay a dentist to fix. There were so many times…

When I was 24 I became pregnant with Chase. A friend of mine told me to apply for state insurance to cover me while I was pregnant. I did a pre-screening and found out I made about 200$ a month too much. I had to WORK LESS to be eligible. Is that scamming the system? I don’t know. But it was my only option.

Chase was born and after my 6 week postpartum appointment I was kicked off state insurance, but he was able to stay on…provided I only made a certain amount. I was a bartender at this point and now stuck between making enough money to help support my family…or making too much money and my child not being insured. It was a really hard place to be. I hated being CAPABLE of making more money…but not able to.

When Chase was 9 months old I became pregnant with Jimmy and back on state insurance I went. This time after he was  born, since we were now a family of 4, I was able to continue on with state insurance for a while. I was able to stay home with my boys and only work Friday and Sundays. I was my children’s primary caregiver and it made me so happy to be in that roll.

When Jimmy was 6 months old I had to make a decision. We needed to be making more money…but if we made more money the boys and I would be kicked off the insurance policy.I priced out buying insurance for the family privately and it was upwards of 600$ A MONTH. I was floored. There was no way we could pay that.

 I talked with a good friend of mine and she agreed to take the boys a couple days a week for me for a very low fee. I was SO LUCKY in finding  the job that I did, it is truly a blessing. Working at the hospital has brought me a lot of joy in that I love my job. I love being able to provide benefits for my whole family. I love being in a health care setting.

I love being with my kids more. If there had been insurance offered by my husband’s job…I’d still be a stay at home mom. If there had been an affordable option for us to purchase…I would be a stay at home mom. Instead I am out of my children’s presence more than I am in it. I pass them off with a kiss every afternoon on my way to work. I rarely see my husband, as I try to work on his days off to cut down their time away from their parents.

We never wanted to be on state provided insurance, we weren’t trying to milk the system. However the system that is in place is not for us. We worked our asses off… and for all intensive purposes we were punished for it by making too much.

I don’t know what the solution is. I don’t know if this bill is it. I do know that someone needs to be done. I do think that health insurance is something that should be afforded to everyone. I think that the number of people in this country who can’t go to the doctor when they are sick is atrocious. I think the number of people cluttering up emergency rooms with simple illnesses just because it is there only option is horrendous. I think that while my Canadian friends will readily admit their system is not perfect, they are damned grateful for it.

 If it is your right to carry a gun…it damned well better be MY right to get sewn up when someone shoots me and not owe for the rest of my life due to it.

That’s my opinion.