A New Outlook for 2013

It has taken me awhile but I finally decided on a course of action.  Since I do not believe the issue of the "fiscal cliff" will be solved anytime soon, I am bracing for tax hikes!!  I  have a job therefore I pay taxes.  I am a single, white, female with a young daughter.  I have just got out of a benefits meeting at work.  I am very disappointed but am still doing my part.  I have no choice but to accept the medical and dental coverage my company gives.  I don't qualify for anything else and according to Obama, if I don't have insurance I will be penalized on my tax return!  My benefit deductable amount has increased.  I will now have to pay $6500 out of pocket for medical for my daughter and I.  I  will now have to pay $2000 out of pocket for dental for my daughter and I.  Once the deducatables are reached (for the year), we will then be on a 70/30 policy!  Meds and premiums don't count towards the deductable.  It is because of this that I am inputing austerity measures on my household and by the 1st of January, we will have gotten rid of all unnecessary luxery items.  We will be staying home, eating as frugally as one can and adhering to a strict per week spending plan for food and gas.  Nothing unnecessary will be coming into the house and we will not be observing the holidays as they are too expensive.  As of right now, at least my daughter and I are healthy, will still have a roof over our heads and we will still have each other.  Even if we don't have much else. 

Decidedly Peeved

When I say Decidely Peeved I am really irritated at the State of Minnesota with regards to their handling of my Child Support.  I realize I am not the only one who receives child support but what happened again, I think should be addressed.  The State of Minnesota normally sends me the notice on a Tuesday so I get my child support in the bank on Thursday or Friday.  This week, once again, they sent my notice on a Thursday, which means I have to get through the weekend with no child support.  I won't receive it in my bank until either Monday or Tuesday.  I really don't think these people realize that by screwing up the distribution timing of our payments, they are only hurting the children that are to be benefiting from receiving child support.  I have to wait with bills and groceries now because I don't have enough in my account to pay for those things.  My child support covers support for my child.  That means part of her food, clothes and care that I don't provide.  Those needs are not met if there are no funds available to her.  Now next week would be different, I get paid next week and will have a little money left after bills for her care, my portion of her care.  She attends Kidstop (a before and after school care program) which has to be paid every week regardless.  It isn't cheap but what is a working mother to do.  Those of us who receive child support for our children already have that money figured in many of our budgets, by having people mess with the distribution time of it, that messes up already tight budgets and makes them even tighter!  This weekend from today at 5pm to Sunday at 11pm the website will be down for maintenance.  The last time the website was down for maintenance, they did the same thing to our child support.  Gave it to us late so we had to wait for the following week.  Many of us worry that the other parent is lying about working when we get delayed payments.  I have discovered that rather than call and gripe at her father, just waiting the extra days and it shows up is better.  Some people don't have that kind of patience.  That just gets everyone upset, especially when the other parent is working.  Now they get defensive and say and do mean and hurtful things.  It all could be avoided if our childs money is distributed on time, every time!  

Medical Care in Crisis

I am normally a person who is a great believer in MN Care.  It is affordable, it works and it is just plain nice.  However, I am now looking at things a bit differently!  I am a schiztophrenic with bipolar mania.  I need health insurance and because of glitches in the system between Medical Assistance and MN Care, my 8 year old daughter and I have been without insurance for three months.  I take two Anti-psychotic prescriptions, an Anti-Depressant, birth control pills, and a pill to lower cholesterol.  It is a total of approximately $1900.00 in Meds to keep me functioning as a productive member of society.  Without my medication and without seeing my psychiatrist, I am putting myself and everyone else at risk.  What I am blogging about today is the "GLITCH" in the system at MN Care that is affecting over 800 people and happened on the 30th of April.  I am talking about sending my payment online, on time even, and having my bank process the payment therefore putting me out money which could be used to buy a pill or two, maybe.  Now in exchange for this money I paid in, I am supposed to get coverage.  Well, the "GLITCH" is still not fixed and it is going on day 3 without coverage.  I am down to my last pill on all meds and I don't have $1900.00.  I call in and try to get answers and what I get told is "when it is fixed we will back date coverage". When I add more pressure I get asked what should they do.  I told them they need to give me coverage NOW!!  I paid for a service and I want the service NOW!  I guess a supervisor will be calling me back!  They couldn't tell me if I was getting the call today or tomorrow.  This is not the service I was looking for.  It is my opinion that I should be covered now and that since my money has been processed and is out of my bank account and in their hands, that I should be given the coverage NOW.  I would more sympathetic if my payment did not go through and it was still waiting but it was processed and now I am just ANGRY!  I have no money and no coverage, I do not think this is fair!

A World Apart

My world is different from a lot of other peoples.  In my world there is love, laughter, children, hope and excitement. 
However there are things that are not so wonderful, lack of a permanent job, my boyfriend leaving to work in Chicago for two months, the uncertanty of being alone. 
Then you have the realization of good things that finally came through.  Like that of Health Care coverage that Lily and I haven't had for over 3 months (Minnesota Care finally came through), my truck died causing me to have to get a newer/used vehicle (with the hope it lasts forever). 
I am currently trying to get in touch with people from my High school graduating class.  Which is working pretty good.  I have an online web-store called Hevans"D"Beads.  I sell the beaded jewelry that I make there.  If anyone in the minneapolis/twin cities area wants to create a unique gift for someone or an event, I do that as well.
I am a follower of Mental Health & Domestic Violence Issues.  Having a Mental Illness and being a survivor of Domestic Violence has that tendency.  We have no idea when my Mental Illness happened or why it happened to me.  It could be a chemical imbalance thanks to a stroke I suffered when I was 23.  Or it could be due to stress that happened when my ex-husband tried to strangle me.  It is thanks to a wonderful Psychiatrist and a very nice drug combination, that I am doing very well.  I am able to function as a productive member of society. 

Dead Ends

Jobs...are scarce... Money is like a noose, tighter than ever. I am still looking. I just want to work and there is nothing. No one wants me, no one cares, still I am told that I may soon not have a place to live just because I am not able to afford anything...rent or bills or anything!! I am just wishing and hoping and praying that something breaks real soon! It is frustrating. I am trying to stay upbeat, I am trying to stay happy, it just isn't working. I really wish it was... Man, I hate depression. Even on medications, I still hate depression.

Obama's Health Care Overhaul

I am an advocate for Nationwide Health Care I mean we really need to do something. However, fining people for not getting health insurance is pretty sad. You see he uses the analogy of people being required to carry car insurance. Well, I am sorry but since I don't have a car, I have no need of Insurance. I guess I will be racking up a lot of fines. I cannot afford a car. Since I cannot afford a car, I will be unable to afford car insurance. Well, right now, I am unemployed and have no money. My daughter is almost 6. How many fines am I to be paying for not being able to get health insurance. My daughter and I am covered this moment under state sponsored health care. Which since I don't have any money, I don't have to worry about. What is going to happen to people like my daughter and myself? What happens when "VOUCHERS" fail? What happens then. I will tell you what will happen, you will have a very large amount of people not covered. With vouchers it is limited time and limited amounts available. Unless us unemployed people who do not get unemployment get some kind of help, then I don't know. I really wish the President could see that the model in Minnesota works. Well, it works as long as our Defacto Governor doesn't mess it up. So far, if we listen to him, we will all tank. He is not a nice man either. If he wins the presidency when it comes up, I feel so sorry for the United States of America. We will then become the Dictatorship of America. No longer would we be the land of the free. We would be the land of Tim Pawlenty!! Now that is a shame!!
Do all of us want to have happen in the White House, what happened in the Governors House here in Minnesota. The Governor, made all the decisions himself. All by himself...That is a Dictatorship! He didn't take anyones help! He didn't even bother to think about what would happen when he got rid of the GAMC program. He didn't even think about the many men and women that his decision would effect. He didn't care about the people. Only balancing the budget! What are we going to do???