My healthcare insurance / economy story.

I worked for DENSO in a factory setting from the time I was 18 until I could not stand the monotony of it at the age of 29. I started as a materiel handler at 7.87 an hour and left as an assistant production manager with a salary of 63k. I took college classes all along but getting married, having kids unexpectedly and life in general is why I always stayed in that line of work. I returned to school and became a registered nurse. I did well and landed a job in my local ED as a new grad.

The hospital offers medical insurance, it was costing me as a full time employee $640 a month for a healthy non smoking family of four. BTW the only places that accept this insurance are places affiliated with the hospital. When I was in the factory it cost me $40 dollars a month for better coverage with a national company.

I have recently accepted a position back at my old factory as an occupational health nurse. I am still working in a level one trauma center six 12 hour shifts a month as an RN to keep my foot in the door and my skills up. Also to make up a bit of the difference in pay. I returned there mainly, for the 9 to 5 hours and the much cheeper insurance. Now they charge $80 a month.

However I see how they are keeping the cost down. As stated above I started in 1997 at 7.87 an hour. Now the place is full of temps making 7.50 an hour. With the economy the way it is the raises over the past five years have not kept up with inflation. With the new healthcare stuff kicking in the plan as I understand it is to only hire temps in positions that are not skilled.

I also see cut backs within the medical industry. Jobs use to be a dime a dozen in my area for RN's PA's and the like but now with many places not knowing how they will be reimbursed by the government they are not hiring staff or taking new patients.

I see this as a way for the future of a one payer system. Customer service will go down do to cuts. People will complain. The gov't will come in and "fix" it by taking control of the entire system.

This is why I support the defunding of Obama Care. The system is not perfect, but in a free market there are choices we can make. My story is just an example of that.

Last Edited by TheBryk on 09/13/2013 12:57 PM