Answer to Anonymous' Comment (see previous post)

I can understand where Anonymous is coming from, to a certain extent. I do believe that people need to be responsible for themselves, including their health. But from their post I would surmise that they are either a business owner (who can't afford or doesn't want to provide health/dental insurance) or one of the lucky upper middle class who has a job (or a spouse with a job) that does provide good benefits. It's going to be very hard for anonymous to relate to what I'm talking about in either case.

From the nerve that anonymous hit, I'd say that there are more than just a couple of us who are trying our best to use our resources wisely but still can't get ahead. Knowing what I know now, should I have gone with a cheaper home? Probably. But good luck finding a $100K home 6 years ago in a decent neighborhood. And it would take even more luck to sell ours today because it's value has dropped by $10K or more. Are there items in my budget where I could cut back (even more) and save $50-100 a month? Maybe. But honestly, that little amount wouldn't be enough to cover all the medical and dental needs we have- we would still be struggling. We do have a newer tv because our old one died, but we didn't go into debt to buy it and it's not a fancy, expensive one. I also have a cell phone, but it's the same basic (free) model I've had for the past 4 years. I don't buy designer clothing, have a new car (or car payments) or go out to eat hardly ever. Our vacations are usually close to home and we don't get to travel out of state to visit relatives hardly ever. In other words, we live pretty frugally. Am I wrong, then, for wanting some sort of a break to help with necessary care? I'm not talking orthodontics or plastic surgery here- just the basics!

As for expecting a company to pay for these needs- no, they shouldn't HAVE to provide health and dental insurance (certainly not covering the entire cost) but it used to be that companies wanted to keep their good employees and would provide perks like health and dental benefits to keep them around. I realize that with the current economy there are far more workers than jobs and companies (in general) have no need to worry about employees leaving. But look at the service you get at most places and the products that are often made. You can't tell me that treating employees like they are a dime a dozen is really that great for our country as a whole.

Would we use extra pay for health and dental if the company provided that? Well, we already do. We use after tax dollars to pay for private insurance for my daughter and myself, to fund an HSA account to pay the medical/dental bills. When my husband got a small raise, we opted for the dental insurance, which costs close to the exact amount of the raise. Even though it doesn't provide most of the coverage we need, it does provide some. It would take a much larger raise than what he got, though, to provide for what we need.

And lest anonymous think that I'm one of those draining the health care system: I see the doctor once or twice a year, am in good health (great cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.) and am on no prescription medications. Same for my daughter. So we pay out of pocket for health insurance to cover us "just in case."

If I sound a bit annoyed with the whole situation, it's because I am. All I want is to be able to afford the same basics that my parents had without having to struggle every month to do so. I think employers should feel a responsibility for their stewardship over their employees. I think they should provide decent benefits when possible. And I think the system needs to be changed to make that possible again. (I understand that the costs are getting too high for a lot of smaller companies to carry.) I'm just frustrated and don't know where to turn or what to do to start the ball rolling on the changes that need to be made. It sucks to feel helpless and stuck in a system that grinds down those who often work the hardest.

Middle Class Gap

I've identified a huge (and pretty literal) gap for the lower middle class: dental care.



If you're lower income you often qualify for medicaid and can get basic dental care, at least for your kids. If you're upper middle class or higher there's a good chance that you're working for a company that offers decent dental benefits.
But if you're stuck in that income range that's too high for public assistance but not high enough/privileged enough to get good dental coverage at work, you're pretty well screwed when it comes to dental care.

It's hard enough to try to make ends meet when you're in this income bracket. You make just enough to pay your bills but not really enough to save up for retirement, major emergencies, or really good dental care. Most people in this bracket are already faced with the high costs of health insurance because employers have been cutting back on benefits and unloading most of the financial burden on the employees. Dental care ends up being a true luxury.

Heaven forbid you get a toothache. Dentists aren't known for their compassion or generous natures. If you can't afford to have a tooth taken care of, you're out of luck. You can either go into debt to have it properly taken care of (and root canals, crowns, etc. can cost more than a hospital stay), live with the pain, let it continue decaying, or have it pulled. There aren't many other options. And to a family that's just surviving, going into debt for one or two teeth isn't really a viable option, especially with multiple family members in need of care. How do you pick and choose whose teeth are more important?

Or do you just give up and go with this option?:



When I look around and see good, hardworking people who haven't been able to get proper care for their teeth because they are in this dental no-man's land, I can't help but think that there's something wrong with the system. It's hard to want to "get ahead" and be independent and self-reliant when it's so much easier to go with a lower stress, lower paying job and just accept all the benefits available to lower income families. What's the point of trying to take care of ourselves if:
a) we can't really afford to do a good job of it, and
b) the government is willing to provide more care for less effort??

Can we see why so many people don't bother to work hard and try to realize the "American dream" anymore??! (Is it starting to feel more like the "American nightmare"??) Wouldn't it be nice if companies actually rewarded hard work and integrity with good benefits and reciprocal loyalty? I'm not so young that I can't remember a time when that was the case.

And yes, we are one of those families in this situation. If anyone would like to subsidize our dental care, we would happily take donations. (And I'm only kinda kidding about that...)