Friday, November 4, 2011

Slapped In The Face

Here I sit, hopes dashed, the pain of unshed tears in my eyes. I will not cry, I refuse. The people I work for aren't worth my tears. No, I haven't lost my job, just my hope for something better and in a way, my faith in the people I work for. I didn't have much of it, but I did have some.

They are now offering a health insurance to their employees. Employees who gross less than $350 a week are being offered this health insurance to the tune of $145.71 per week. No part of it to be paid for by the company.  They think it's a big deal, we're supposed to be grateful. Instead, I feel as if someone poured acid on my face.

What really floored me is that basic common sense should have told them that they don't have an employee that can afford this. Given that knowledge, what is this? What part of taking $600 a month away from their employees leaves them with nothing left to live on are they ignoring? But WAIT! There's MORE!

In addition to the cost of healthcare there is a dental plan for a few extra bucks a week. I was so shocked by the offer, I don't remember the amount requested for that. All I can see when I think about it is the $145.71 per week figure. There have been weeks when I have client cancellations for doctor appointments and clients in the hospital that I don't take home much more than a dollar or two over that figure. I don't work 30 hours a week, so I only make $8 an hour.

Depending on the number of hours one works, they pay $8 or $9 an hour for actual client work. Travel time is paid by the hour at $7.35. Due to the travel time they won't give anyone more than 36 hours of client time and seldom more than 90 minutes of travel. Total gross pay on that would be $335.03. Social security, Medicare, Fed tax, state tax, and state disability will take somewhere around $50.60 out of that depending on the number of dependents they claim. Once the insurance comes out, it will leave the employee with around $138 and change a week.

Average rent here? Around $550 a month not including utilities. Plus, most of us need a car to make that much money and that won't be possible if we sign up for the health insurance.

If they'd have offered to pay half of that, I actually would have taken more hours to bring myself up to the point where I would feel comfortable with that kind of deduction. After all, with Hubby's business being seasonal, I need to be bringing home enough to keep the roof over our head, the lights on and food in our stomachs. Along with keeping the car in gas. I can do that on what I'm making.

They wonder why the aides aren't falling all over themselves to give their all for the company. Somehow they don't grasp that in order to have the food stamps and the health insurance Medicaid provides, they can't make more money than they're being paid. Most of them have kids to look out for, without a living wage, they're doing the best they can.

17 comments:

  1. Sherry, A LOT of companies are going this route and I can't help but think it is by design. They really do not care and in some cases to be sure they can't afford to pay health insurance premiums for employees anymore. Some companies could afford it but have chosen not to have that kind of plan. or they contribute such a small amount the results are basically the same....the employee can not afford it...or they are working just to have health insurance and nothing more....It is sad, shameful, and unfortunate but I see no way around it with the skyrocketing cost of medical care. (ever noticed where all the medical professionals live and what they drive)....there are none in my neighborhood I assure you......

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  2. Sherry,
    This is the sort of system some here think New Zealand needs. I will refer them to your blog and have no doubt such thinkers will stay away. We do have both public and private options here, but even those taking private health insurance don't pay nearly that much.

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  3. Sherry,
    We need to make sure the Obama's health care plan is not butchered.

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  4. I figure its just a matter of time before the coompany I work for does this too...its scary anymore.

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  5. Sherry:

    I think the time has finally arrived when the average working person will have to live in a tent in order to pay for health, dental, and vision insurance.

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  6. TAB,

    Nice to see you!

    Although I agree with you about the skyrocketing costs of medical care, there are other policies and companies they could have looked into. The lack of basic common sense involved in this "offer" indicates to me that it's done for show rather than any concern for the employee.

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  7. Mr. O,

    I believe there are ways to offer a cheaper insurance. They just aren't truly interested in helping their employees.

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  8. Fringe,

    With so much hype and outright lying about the healthcare act, making sure it isn't butchered is going to be impossible.

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  9. Bella,

    Yep scary. The government needs to negotiate with healthcare providers to control the costs of medical care. Unfortunately, the US is filled with stupid people who believe we have the best in the world no matter how many times they're proved wrong.

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  10. Whit,

    I believe the average working person will lose their healthcare coverage before the tent becomes necessary. I wonder how insurance companies will survive when only the 1% can support them?

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  11. sherry

    I thought you never wrote 'fiction' in your blog?

    Oh - this is a true story?

    What a f***** up country we live in!

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  12. A country that spends a trillion dollars on military research and development could better spend their money on universal health care if they were realy serious about serving the people - But beople don't pay for reelection campaigns - big business does. Poloticians are mainly concerned with reelection. Our government is sick and term limits is the only cure.
    the Ol'Buzzard

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  13. Sherry:

    Its shameful the way some companies are allowed to treat their employees, I can't wait to find out what kind of health insurance I'm going to get once my probation period is up.. more than likely only as good as what I can afford to pay for.. and to think when I started working for United Engine & Machine way back in 1984 we had Blue Cross Blue Shield and it didn't cost us a dime.. my how times have changed for the worse.. shameful indeed.

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  14. Ice,

    Yeah this is unfortunately a true story. I can't understand why they even bothered to offer it, they know what we're making. With what I'm making now, I'd receive a whopping $50 paycheck every week.

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  15. Buzzard,

    We actually have term limits. It's called voting, which far too many eligible American's don't do. Except for presidential elections, less than half of registered voters go to the polls. Which doesn't count the rest of the unregistered voters who sit and bitch.

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  16. Scratch,

    The cost of health insurance keeps going up so I do understand why most places are beginning to drop coverage, but to offer a policy that would leave employees without enough to live on is unconscionable.

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