The Real Cost of Obamacare

As Obamacare was being ramrodded through Congress, all the talking heads on Fox News (and I'm sure the other cable news channels), kept asking the same question: "But what is Obamacare going to cost us?"

My husband is suffering from a terminal illness. He is 42 years old, and his brain is wasting away. There is no cure. Scientists can do many amazing things, but regrowing brain tissue isn't one of them. They can't even stop the degeneration. All we can do at this point is treat the symptoms and hope he's around as long as possible for the kids. Not just physically, but mentally. We hope and pray that as he fades away from us it isn't torture on everyone involved, but if you've seen what Alzheimer's patients go through...well, the odds are against us.

I tell you all this to say that health care costs and the availability of treatments matters to me. Probably more so than to any other 36 year old I know. I'm informed and personally involved. So, let me tell you that thirty days into the implementation of the crown jewel of Liberalism, my family can answer the question that the talking heads couldn't seem to agree on. Obamacare is going to cost us a lot.

It started with the tax hike that NO AMERICAN making less the $250,000 a year was ever going to see. I don't make anywhere near that as a public school teacher. My husband works for an evil oil field company. In a perfect world he'd easily be raking in a six-figure income, but with his health issues, we're just thankful and blessed that he still has a job. Amazingly enough, we saw a tax hike after the first of the year, and so did you (if you bring home a paycheck). Yep. Every American's paycheck is a little lighter thanks to Obamacare and the increased payroll taxes. Granted, it's not a lot. But that's just the beginning.

Now maybe I'm already coming across as a heartless Conservative. Bleeding-heart Liberals everywhere...okay, the 4 that may read this....are screaming at their computer screens, "But think of all the children and needy that can now receive medical care!!!!" Yeah, I don't care. So there. It's the truth. I. Don't. Care. Life is about choices. My husband and I chose to get college educations. We chose to live in places we didn't think we wanted to live so we could have jobs. And insurance. And support our children without help from the government. It most certainly has not always been easy. But we did it. We don't have new cars, and didn't get our first flat screen television until almost a year ago. We chose insurance instead. We chose to stash money away into Health Savings Accounts and retirement plans and 401(k)'s. We made the choice to be responsible. I am sorry others didn't choose that for themselves and their children, but why is that a "me" problem? Unfortunately, Obamacare made it a "me" problem.

"Treatments" for Ray's symptoms are quite limited, and basically, the neurologist prescribes Alzheimer's medication. Last year, the generic form of Aricept cost $3 for a 30 day supply. This year's cost if $25. That's not a lot of money, but that's an 800% increase!! Unfortunately, Ray can't take Aricept any longer. We've moved on to the last option. Namenda has no generic. Last year we paid $76 for a 30 day supply. You can imagine my horror when I discovered that it is now going to cost us $249 a month!!! I just knew there was a mistake when I went to fill this month's prescription. I went ahead and used money out of the HSA to pay. It was unnerving. I specifically set aside a certain amount of money to cover our annual family deductible and the 20% of costs we pay after the deductible is reached. I know our health care costs are going to be outrageous, so I did the responsible thing and planned ahead. I called the insurance company to straighten out the "mistake" before I even left the parking lot.

The customer representative I spoke with was condescending and hateful. Now, that isn't Obama's fault. It just made a bad situation much worse. It finally occurred to me that she was saying that the high cost is OUR fault because Ray is CHOOSING to take the name-brand medication. I explained that there was no generic. Apparently this particular representative is a future Nobel prize winner in the field of medicine. She replied, "Well, he needs to take something different. I know that there are a LOT of medical alternatives." She also explained to me that insurance wasn't actually paying for any of the medication at this point. I was paying an "agreed upon amount" (the real cost is $419), and that after I had met a $2500 prescription deductible (entirely separate from my medical deductible) insurance would start paying SOME of the cost of Ray's prescription.

After a trip to see a different neurologist at Tech, things only went downhill. We are paying more than we've ever had to pay for doctor's visits, lab work, prescriptions, and therapy. Our medical costs have more than tripled from last year.

As I said, Ray's treatments are limited and expensive. Apparently insurance isn't even covering the costs of his treatments now. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. And it will. Let me tell you how that's going to play out. We will be informed by someone from the insurance company/government that Ray's illness is "hopeless" and "untreatable". The medication he is taking is not prescribed for his type of degeneration, and so they are going to deny coverage for the treatment or any other "off label" treatment. There is no "label" treatment for Ray's condition. Because it is rare, incurable, and expensive, I believe, at some point he is going to be denied treatment altogether. You can call me a conspiracy theorist, but think about this:

How can Obamacare drive down the cost of medicine when more people are receiving more benefits with fewer people footing the bill?

I made the responsible choice to hold a certain amount money out of our checks specifically for medical costs, and I have less than half of what I'm really going to need. I bought insurance BEFORE anyone got sick which, by the way is the purpose of insurance and how it is supposed to work. I'm paying for the ignorance of the masses.And I'm not just paying out of my HSA. Obamacare is preventing me from stashing even more money away for when Ray can no longer work.  Only God knows our future, but we had a plan. We were prepared for what we thought our future would hold in terms of medical and living costs. Obamacare is costing me more than money. It's costing me my peace of mind, joy, and certainty. The real cost of Obamacare can't be measure because it's not in dollars and cents. The real cost of Obamacare is going to be in human suffering.

Why I Choose to Support Chick-fil-A

I wasn't going to throw in my two-cents on the Chick-Fil-A issue, but this image, or rather the caption, just sent me over the edge. I have had it. I am sick and tired of being called a hater, a bigot, and a hypocrite.

Dan Cathy didn't get on a soapbox and denounce gays. He didn't issue a press release. He was asked a question as part of an interview, and he answered it honestly. I happen to agree with him. I don't hate gays. I have gay friends. I love them. I just disagree with them. I disagree with my husband on a daily basis, and I don't hate him either. 

I support Chick-Fil-A. I live too far from one to actually go and buy food, but I'm going on vacation this week. We might stop in and eat at one if it's handy. I don't support them because of their stance on gays just like I don't boycott Microsoft or Google because of their position. I have a lot going on in my life. I have two kids in two school districts, I'm starting a new job in less than two weeks, my husband has a terminal illness. (Really, I don't have time to write this blog, but I was going nuts.) Even if I had the time to find out the political and moral stance of every CEO of every company I might want to do business with, I have no desire to do so. 

So if I don't care, then why am I supporting Chick-Fil-A? Because the government is infringing upon their Freedom of Speech, and that absolutely terrifies me. Maybe we should stop here and have a little civics lesson:

My entire life, I have heard people say, "You can't stop me, I have the right to say what I want." That's not entirely true. We are going to Six Flags next week. If you use vulgar language inside the park, they can escort you off the premises - and no, you don't get a refund. They are a private business. They set the terms under which you can use their services. You do NOT have the right to say whatever you want inside the park. Freedom of Speech is meant to protect citizens from an overreaching government. The GOVERNMENT cannot keep you from criticizing the President, voicing an opinion against a particular law, or (gasp) expressing your views against gay marriage. No matter how politically incorrect it might be.

Civics lesson over. Unfortunately, three of America's mayors seem to have been absent that day in high school. They actually said, out loud and in front of people with microphones, that Chick-Fil-A is not welcome in their cities based on an opinion of the CEO of the company. This is not a civil rights battle. No one is denying tasty chicken to gays. I'm certain there are gays working within  the company because, frankly, I've had a lot of job interviews and no one has ever asked me about my sexual orientation. Gays aren't being asked to eat out back or drink from a separate water fountain. If you oppose Mr. Cathy's position, don't eat there. Vote with your pocketbook. But the government has absolutely no right to deny them expansion or throw them out of cities.

One last note or two while I'm up on my soapbox. The day after Rahm Emanuel supported Alderman Joe Moreno's vow to block the opening of another Chick-Fil-A in Chicago, Emanuel welcomed Louis Farrakahn to the Windy City. Want to know what Mr. Farrakahn thinks about gay marriage? Turns out he takes a Biblical stance on it as well. Doubt me? Listen up.

Sounds like it came right out of the Old Testament to me... On top of that Farrakahn is known for his anti-Semite remarks and views, but he votes Democrat every time he steps into the box, so hey, he's okay. I'm not saying I'm a Louis Farrakahn fan. In fact, it's a little disturbing that I've resorted to referencing him. I'm just pointing out the ridiculousness of the entire situation.

On a final note. It wasn't until May, less than three months ago, that President Obama decided that he supported gay marriage. He was opposed to it for three years! Or at least that's what he said publicly. Not once did I see an image on the internet calling him a hypocrite, bigot, or hater. 

I am a Christian. It does not make me sin free. It does not mean I'm perfect. It does not mean I think I'm going to Heaven while everyone else rots in Hell. It means I believe that Jesus died on the Cross for my sins and rose three days later so I could have eternal life. It means that God loved me from the beginning of time. It means there is a plan for my life. It means I get out of bed each and every day and try to be Christ-like, knowing that I will fail miserably each and every day, but I am loved anyway. It means I make mistakes, but I am forgiven. When the rubber meets the road, it is freedom-loving Christians that are denigrated and hated by the left and the media. We terrify them because we don't hate others like they hate us. They can't understand it. We have our own Savior, and it's not them or their policies. 

Words like 'Hope' and 'Change'

I wrote this on February 21, 2008. Four years later I can see how incredibly naive I was about some things, and rather insightful about others. I have comments on the current political situation, but this gives a little background on where I come from and where I stand.

You don't have to be a news junkie to know that the words 'hope' and 'change' are dominating the Presidential campaign this year, or to know that Barack Obama is the candidate so eloquently stating them.

It's not that I plan on voting for Obama, it's just that I want to understand the cult-like following he has amassed. So I listened to some of Obama's speeches. Or rather I should say, I tried to listen to Obama's speeches. The first was sent to me a couple of weeks ago by a friend in the form of a video. It's titled, "Yes We Can". I didn't get it. The music was cool, as was the idea, but the words just didn't make sense to me. I kept thinking, "What's the point?". I concluded that maybe I was too tired to focus, or maybe I was distracted by the different actors and music. A few days later, and on much more sleep, I tried a different speech. I chose one of Obama speaking without the actors and music to distract me. He's a gifted orator with amazing stage prescence. I heard the words, I understood the meaning of the words, and yet, I didn't get it. I just couldn't wrap my brain around the point of the speech. I concluded that maybe I was distracted by the sound of his voice or even his presence. Maybe I was just trying too hard. Earlier this week, Rush Limbaugh decided to read an Obama speech on the air for his listeners. I was ecstatic. Rush's voice is one I know and love. Surely if he were speaking the words I could grasp them. Again, I just couldn't find the point. That's when I finally understood. There is no point.

Rush Limbaugh has been on a rant for at least a week now avowing the nothingness of Obama's speeches, pointing out that hope and change are not what will move America forward. Frankly, I was getting tired of it. I mean really, it's a campaign slogan. Can't we just move onto the rest of the political news. Conservatives know that Obama is an old-time liberal and a socialist. His mere prescence doesn't revolt us like Hillary's does, but we know what he stands for, and we're not voting for him. Yesterday Rush played a clip from Obama's speech in Houston. I finally understood Rush's frustration. It wasn't when Obama promised nationalized health care, and it wasn't when he promised to make me pay higher taxes so that the poor could pay less. We already know that this is what Obama stands for. It was this line that sent me reeling: "...nothing worthwhile in this country has ever happened except somebody, somewhere was willing to hope...". As I was hearing Obama speak the words, my brain was finishing the sentence. I was certain the last words would be "go out and work for it." Yes, I am so naive.

That line made me think of my grandfather. Pat Bouchelle was a man that came from little. He grew up on a sheep ranch in Lampasas, Texas. He was part of the CCC during the depression and built trails in the Redwood Forest. During World War II he built bombers for the war. Most of his life he was a farmer. I imagine that he didn't know a lot about raising cotton when he first came to Collingsworth County, but he did know about work. My grandad took a small piece of rocky land that my grandmother inherited, and turned it into a small empire. He raised cotton and peanuts, and sometimes cattle and sheep.

Grandad always kept a small spiral notebook and a pen in his front pocket. I remember that he would pull it out and jot things onto it. As a child, I had no interest as to what he wrote in his notebook, and to this day, I'm not certain exactly what he put in there. I imagine it could have been a 'to do' list. Plow this field tomorrow, plant that one on Friday, and order more seed on Tuesday. It could have been a farmer's 'grocery list'. New belt for tractor, oil for pickup, dog food. I am certain that my Grandad's notebook wasn't a list of hopes. It was a list of things that would require work: as in action and movement, toil and sweat.

You might think that farming requires a certain amount of hope, but I never saw my Grandad exhibit that. I don't think he 'hoped' for rain, or 'hoped' that a hailstorm would pass over his crops. I never saw him lay awake at night and 'hope' for or worry about anything. He prayed for God to bless his home, family, and crops. The rest he did for himself. He dug wells, and laid irrigation pipe and sprinklers to provide water for his crops. He got up in the middle of the night to change the water to keep those same crops from flooding. If it hailed, then he replanted if it was early enough in the season. If it wasn't, then he just made plans for the next crop. He was a man of faith, not hope. And he didn't put his faith in any other man, and especially not a politician. He put his faith in God and in himself.

Obama's version of 'hope' and 'change' frighten me. The world will change whether we want it to or not. Our faith, our families, and our actions determine how we will change our small part of the world. Obama wants Americans to place our hope in him, not ourselves. As I watch the masses swoon, I realize that thousands in our country have lost hope in themselves, and they are placing it in the government. They are waiting for the government to change their lives, instead of working to change it for themselves.