Food Budget

[Coconut Flan]

Oh, I'm a fan of universal health coverage. I hate to think of people choosing heat, food, rent, or medicine. It isn't right.

I also know people who have health insurance available to them and pass on it. Then there they are moaning about the bills and I have zero sympathy for them. Two people I know think that Obama-care is the end of the world as we know it. Yes, two people who passed on health insurance at work and ended up the hospital. One paid the bill over time and the other the hospital ended up having to write most of it off. They are the very people that need the law to push them into at least minimal coverage.

The only family I knew without health insurance available to them is now covered. They were illegal immigrants on a 15 year waiting list and now that they have green cards he has a job with benefits (yet another issue that needs to be addressed). I'm sure they worried and I worried for them that some medical issue would wipe them out.

I've been under socialized medicine, though, and I wasn't a huge fan of that. There are some downsides and sometimes hefty ones. The more specialized the care a patient needs, the dicier it gets and I'm a zebra. If the family is healthy or has common conditions, that works well the majority of the time. It's a lot like Kaiser.

[hapamama]

The federal waitstaff minimum was $2.14 per hour when I waited tables in 1982. The waitstaff minimum is still $2.14 per hour. If your tips plus wage don't equal federal minimum wage, the employer is supposed to make up the difference. This often does not happen. If the staff complain or stand up for their rights, they are often out of a job. Frequently waitstaff are expected to share their tips with those who cook the food and clean the tables....cooks and table cleaners are paid minimum wage or more. No health insurance, sick time, or vacation time either. Note: some states have higher minimum wages for wait staff.

In CA waitstaff get the same minimum wage as anyone else... which is a good thing considering the cost of living is so dang high here.

[Wolfie]

In CA waitstaff get the same minimum wage as anyone else... which is a good thing considering the cost of living is so dang high here.

If that is true, it's a relatively new thing, or maybe specific to certain cities/counties with living wage laws.

[Wolfie]

I also know people who have health insurance available to them and pass on it. Then there they are moaning about the bills and I have zero sympathy for them. Two people I know think that Obama-care is the end of the world as we know it. Yes, two people who passed on health insurance at work and ended up the hospital. One paid the bill over time and the other the hospital ended up having to write most of it off. They are the very people that need the law to push them into at least minimal coverage.

Okay, so if a family is making too much to qualify for assistance with health insurance, yet too little to afford it- you still have no sympathy for them if they don't buy it? Seriously? So a family making about $3k a month is expected to spend half their salary on their health insurance. Because, here in CA that's the going rate.

Yes, I know people without insurance- some who are doing it simply because they can't afford it. Others can and THOSE are the ones who make me mad. As well as the ones who have kid after kid when they can't afford them. But a responsible family who used to have health insurance, but then got priced out? I worry about them, they don't deserve it.

[pixydust]

Okay, so if a family is making too much to qualify for assistance with health insurance, yet too little to afford it- you still have no sympathy for them if they don't buy it? Seriously? So a family making about $3k a month is expected to spend half their salary on their health insurance. Because, here in CA that's the going rate.

Yes, I know people without insurance- some who are doing it simply because they can't afford it. Others can and THOSE are the ones who make me mad. As well as the ones who have kid after kid when they can't afford them. But a responsible family who used to have health insurance, but then got priced out? I worry about them, they don't deserve it.

The cost of insurance can be crazy! I actually had to go in debt to my husband's step-dad (I work for him one day a week), because when my husband was out of work due to medical issues, medical insurance was more than may paycheck (family insurance was $215 a week!!) so he covered it for a long time, so that we could have a paycheck (along with my other job that I had). With that insurance we still went into medical debt, because things just weren't covered. Now, thankfully, my husband has better insurance with his job, and we pay a lot less for it ($330 a month), so hopefully, no more medical debt.

[Esther]

I've been under socialized medicine, though, and I wasn't a huge fan of that. There are some downsides and sometimes hefty ones. The more specialized the care a patient needs, the dicier it gets and I'm a zebra. If the family is healthy or has common conditions, that works well the majority of the time. It's a lot like Kaiser.

What country? I'm just asking out of curiosity, since I have two (very) rare conditions and never had anything to complain about here in Belgium. Obviously though the practicalities differ from country to country, which is why I wondered. :)

[Esther]

Tz tz tz, we Germans do that too, the hot lunch thing. :P :lol: Actually, only 2 families out of the many families I know do the hot dinner thing. I always have to explain to my American friends that we kinda switch dinner and lunch around.

Btw, what is a low country? :shock:

The Low Countries is a historical name for the Netherlands and Belgium - well, the Netherlands and Flanders, I think, but all of Belgium is generally included now.

That said, we do the hot lunch too during weekends and when everyone's home - let's say it's our natural modus operandi to have a potatoes meal for lunch and then have a cold dinner, but during school/work days it's a lot more practical to have a sandwich lunch and then have dinner together with the family at night. That's what most people here end up doing. :)

[charizbarb]

If the US had universal health care would the fundies then take advantage of it?

And does Universal Healthcare cover dental too?

In the UK, the NHS subsidises dental care but it's not free unless you're in certain groups (eg children, seniors, pregnant women, people on certain social welfare). Ditto sight care and prescriptions (we pay a flat fee of just over £7 per prescription -for all medication - unless you're in one of the aforementioned groups).

[charizbarb]

Tz tz tz, we Germans do that too, the hot lunch thing. :P :lol: Actually, only 2 families out of the many families I know do the hot dinner thing. I always have to explain to my American friends that we kinda switch dinner and lunch around.

Btw, what is a low country? :shock:

Oh sorry, the Low Countries are the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg (and maybe some others). Essentially all the flat (hence 'low') countries between France and Germany ;) It's an old British term I guess, from when we did a lot of trading with the Netherlands and the surrounding countries (before modern Europe took shape).

[MyName]

the 666 has been pointed out. -wink-

"Oatmeal is a fantastic, healthy and cheap breakfast!

I worry about the $600 budget though. Doesn't that work out to be $6.66 per meal? I couldn't have that type of unholy number in my budget. Maybe up the budget to $700?"

[Coconut Flan]

Okay, so if a family is making too much to qualify for assistance with health insurance, yet too little to afford it- you still have no sympathy for them if they don't buy it? Seriously? So a family making about $3k a month is expected to spend half their salary on their health insurance. Because, here in CA that's the going rate.

Yes, I know people without insurance- some who are doing it simply because they can't afford it. Others can and THOSE are the ones who make me mad. As well as the ones who have kid after kid when they can't afford them. But a responsible family who used to have health insurance, but then got priced out? I worry about them, they don't deserve it.

I was unclear it seems. The two people that I know make enough to afford the health insurance that is offered. They merely chose to be unprepared for what in at least one case was a certain eventuality.

In the one case to add her husband to the work policy would have been $100 to $150 a month. Hers was free. He weighed over 300 pounds and had untreated high blood pressure and we suspected other health problems. He was mid-40s and even with friends and family imploring her to sign up her husband at the next enrollment she refused saying that they "couldn't afford it." She, by herself, made more than enough to cover the premiums. This is the same couple I've spoken about before who ate out five to seven days a week mainly on fast food. They had more than enough to cover the health insurance with cutting that back.

We all talked to them about the high cost of medical bills, etc. to no avail. He developed a heart condition and spent two weeks in the hospital. He'll be on medication the rest of his life. So NOW they health insurance for him. They had to pay the hospital bill at something like $500 a month so the finance department at the hospital saw plenty of room in their budget for the health insurance premium. It was odd how they found that $500 "quite affordable" after the fact.

That's the people that upset me. The people for whom the cost of health insurance is more than any benefit that would get from it outside of a catastrophic medical condition makes me shake my head at what is going on with things.

[YPestis]

I was unclear it seems. The two people that I know make enough to afford the health insurance that is offered. They merely chose to be unprepared for what in at least one case was a certain eventuality.

In the one case to add her husband to the work policy would have been $100 to $150 a month. Hers was free. He weighed over 300 pounds and had untreated high blood pressure and we suspected other health problems. He was mid-40s and even with friends and family imploring her to sign up her husband at the next enrollment she refused saying that they "couldn't afford it." She, by herself, made more than enough to cover the premiums. This is the same couple I've spoken about before who ate out five to seven days a week mainly on fast food. They had more than enough to cover the health insurance with cutting that back.

We all talked to them about the high cost of medical bills, etc. to no avail. He developed a heart condition and spent two weeks in the hospital. He'll be on medication the rest of his life. So NOW they health insurance for him. They had to pay the hospital bill at something like $500 a month so the finance department at the hospital saw plenty of room in their budget for the health insurance premium. It was odd how they found that $500 "quite affordable" after the fact.

That's the people that upset me. The people for whom the cost of health insurance is more than any benefit that would get from it outside of a catastrophic medical condition makes me shake my head at what is going on with things.

It's people like these that are truly ignorant of how health insurance works. They see health care as a "pay as you go" system. You need don't need to see a doctor now? Ok, then paying health insurance is just throwing money away. Once these people get sick, especially if they require hospital stays, suddenly, they realize how expensive things get at that point, especially if you don't have insurance!

I had a co-worker who purposely refused health insurance our company offered (which was a good idea as we were a sizable company) because she said it was a "bad investment". Needless to say, we were all flabbergasted. Health insurance is not the same as buying stocks! It's to insure you against financial ruin in case you get sick or hurt!

For people who refuse affordable insurance, they typically have some 'cushion' and figure they can pay the piper *if* they get sick. Of course, when the doctor then tells you that a simple, but lifesaving surgery is in the high five figures or the medication needed to keep them alive will be thousands of dollars....then they will see why health insurance functions differently from buying bonds.

[ricky_ticky]

Wow. I've never heard of anyone locking the pantry or cabinets before. :shock: Indeed, like someone mentioned, it's all about control.

Do you think her husband has to suffer under this diet, or does he have the key to his own cabinet full of foods he likes to eat?

Why doesn't her headship pipe up and tell her to get some real food and stop pinching every food penny until it squeals?

I wonder if he carries lunch to work that she prepares for him... or if he gets to eat out at lunch... :roll:

[jaynie]

What country? I'm just asking out of curiosity, since I have two (very) rare conditions and never had anything to complain about here in Belgium. Obviously though the practicalities differ from country to country, which is why I wondered. :)

I would agree that it varies from country, and even from place to place within a country (if you live in a big spread out country you're probably better served in cities, but then that's true in the USA as well). My SIL had a series of rare health issues that baffled the doctors, but never had issues getting immediate treatment (this is in western Canada). But yeah, it totally depends on *which* system you're a part of. (I dread to think what would have happened to said SIL if she were an average American, though...)

[pixydust]

the 666 has been pointed out. -wink-

"Oatmeal is a fantastic, healthy and cheap breakfast!

I worry about the $600 budget though. Doesn't that work out to be $6.66 per meal? I couldn't have that type of unholy number in my budget. Maybe up the budget to $700?"

Haha, priceless!

[emmiedahl]

Not everyone in the US has it terribly. Some have affordable health insurance with very low co-pays and six weeks paid vacation. One of my relatives has insurance 100% paid by the employer and another it's 80% employer paid. Mine is 75% employer paid premiums. Although for many people it is a major problem. I'm not denying that, but wanted people to know it isn't everyone.

In my entire life I have never known an American with six weeks paid vacation. Even my doctor does not get the benefits you describe.

[emmiedahl]

If that is true, it's a relatively new thing, or maybe specific to certain cities/counties with living wage laws.

It is statewide and has been that way at least since my mother was a waitress in the early eighties.

[YPestis]

In my entire life I have never known an American with six weeks paid vacation. Even my doctor does not get the benefits you describe.

Six weeks paid vacation was what my parents (I think) got when they worked for the public university. I just remember my mom taking a month off to go to China one time. She later worked for a private corporation which paid substantially more but only gave her half the vacation time. She sometimes talks wistfully about the month vacation she was allotted as a state employee. My husband is a resident at a public uni and is given a generous vacation allowance (although not 6 weeks) that is increased each year of his residency.

Many doctors don't do six weeks off a year, especially if they are in private practice, because it may be hard to build and maintain a patient base when they take so much time off. They also lose money when they don't see patients, causing a double whammy financially when they vacation. Also, depending on specialty, they may have to find someone to cover for them in the hospital, making it an extra burden.

It's not just a matter of lack of vacation days or financial means that people don't vacation. As a country, many won't take vacation days off because of their work burden and/or the economic loss they incur. We really are an overworked country! :lol:

[twin2]

In my entire life I have never known an American with six weeks paid vacation. Even my doctor does not get the benefits you describe.

I currently get 5 weeks paid vacation. Employees at my company who have been there for 10 or 15 years (I don't remember the exact schedule) have 6. My health benefits are on par with what Abigail describes. Benefits/vacation can vary across companies. I think this contributes to the "I have mine" attitude of this country. I think that sometimes those that are lucky enough to work at a place with good benefits either don't realize, or don't care to realize that a substantial number of workers in this country do not.

[Coconut Flan]

I think that is true about not knowing. If you work in a large place as I do, it seems normal since we all get the same benefit package. My neighbor works at a bank and has similar benefits. A lot of it does seem to depend on the people we see regularly at work and at school events and what we see regularly seems "normal." For us the six weeks vacation kicks in at 15 years also.

I've known people in the last few years who died of cancer and had months and years of treatment and yet none of the families have been denied treatment or drugs or had money problems paying their co-pays. I'm not denying that people do. My friends, neighbors, and family seem to be very fortunate. It's very easy to think most people have decent insurance and care when it seems that everyone you know does. I feel terrible reading the horror stories here that people have and have had and do believe something should be done about that.

[NoQuiverNoCry]

Haha, priceless!

:clap: :clap: :clap:

[bananacat]

Honestly, blog posts like this are why I can never get behind fat-shaming Smuggar. Food insecurity makes people have disordered eating later in life. It's not universal, but it is fairly predictable and it doesn't make sense to just claim it's an issue of willpower when it's actually a common and very human response. I don't know if Josh Duggar has a clinical eating disorder, but he clearly has food issues and most people who were in his place would behave the exact same way. The mother who wrote this blog post thinks that she is keeping her kids thin, and they will be thin as long as she can restrict their food. But they likely won't be as soon as she no longer holds the literal key to getting food.

I can feed myself for $150 a month, but I rarely buy meat. I think it's a much better choice to go for non-meat proteins instead of cheaping out and buying the disgusting cheap meat. Lentils are cheap and have tons of protein, but also tons of fiber on top of that. If I had to feed 10+ people on a budget, I'd cook lentils almost daily and just forget about meat and meat-substitutes except for special occasions. I just don't see the point in buying the cheapest bologna available or "tube meat" or other things like that. There's no way that can taste good and it's still more expensive than a giant bag of lentils.

[YPestis]

It's really easy to live in a bubble if you are comfortably well off and the people you socialize with are of similar socioeconomic level. As another poster stated, some people acquire a "I've got mine" attitude and do not realize not everyone is as fortunate.

My parents work for a large univ and later a large corporation so they always had excellent benefits. Their friends were all those that worked in the same place. They paid minimal when seeing a doctor. Expensive drugs were cheap. Most basic procedures were almost fully covered. Dental and vision were included in the package. I never met anyone with poor benefits until I went to med school where the issue constantly came up in our classes and in our patients. I'm glad this health care reform thing is up in the news. It's about time we focus on the health care access issue in one of the richest countries in the world.

[gezykah]

In my entire life I have never known an American with six weeks paid vacation. Even my doctor does not get the benefits you describe.

I've been with my company for eight years and get six weeks paid vacation (including sick days plus six paid holidays). There are people at my company who get as many as 42 paid vacation days. My employer also pays most of my health care premium but the benefits have gotten worse over the years. They've changed the vacation polices for new hires so they don't get nearly as much time as I started with and will never be able to accrue the vacation time I have. Last year they got rid of the two most popular health care options we had so most of us had to switch. They're still paying most of the premiums but the plans don't provide as much. About a month ago I had to go to the emergency room and get stitches. I paid my $100 copay upfront and since then have gotten two bills totaling $850 dollars. I'm in the process of trying to fight those charges but quite a few of us have been in similar situations thanks to the new health care plans. I realize I'm fortune since not enough people have good benefits but I've noticed a trend where benefits are getting worse at many of the few companies where they are good.

[bananacat]

I think that is true about not knowing. If you work in a large place as I do, it seems normal since we all get the same benefit package. My neighbor works at a bank and has similar benefits. A lot of it does seem to depend on the people we see regularly at work and at school events and what we see regularly seems "normal." For us the six weeks vacation kicks in at 15 years also.

I've known people in the last few years who died of cancer and had months and years of treatment and yet none of the families have been denied treatment or drugs or had money problems paying their co-pays. I'm not denying that people do. My friends, neighbors, and family seem to be very fortunate. It's very easy to think most people have decent insurance and care when it seems that everyone you know does. I feel terrible reading the horror stories here that people have and have had and do believe something should be done about that.

This is the very definition of unexamined privilege and I hope that you will take this opportunity to fully examine your privilege instead of just doing it lip-service. You likely only spend time with people in your own economic class so you have a skewed view of reality. But you need to realize that the horror stories aren't just a rare exception or the worst-case; they are a daily fact of life for people in lower economic classes than the one you are in. And it's not some pity-party because for many people struggling for medical care is just so common that they don't even think twice. One of my friends had a kidney stone. He works full time but doesn't get health insurance and can't afford to buy it because of his history of kidney stones. He'll be paying off that hospital stay for years which will make it even harder for him to afford health insurance, or even save up some emergency money in his bank account.