Whose American Dream?

Yesterday my husband and I got a letter from Bank of America.  We are one of the lucky people who had a mortgage owned by Countrywide and then had it sold to the bank of the devil.  Dealing with them has been excruciating.  They are heartless cheats to be honest.  We have never missed a home payment nor even been late.  Not once.  One might think that would make them want to deal with us, but it's not.  Since they understand our responsibility, they know we will always pay.  For the last 2-3 months, we have been working to try and get our home payments reduced.  Their answer came in a letter delivered by FedEx,  "Sorry, can't help you."  Strangely, I'm feeling quite liberated.  We can't keep paying for this house.  It is too big, too expensive and we can't afford the upkeep.  They suggested we start thinking about short selling.  I am so ready to move on with all this.  I can't wait for the day when we have more breathing room financially.  Hell, I'm a dreamer, maybe we can even save for the kids' college funds!  Why stop there?!  Maybe put some money away for the girls' weddings we might have to pay for!!

We've got a lot to work out and things probably won't happen quickly.  I still can't help but feel optimistic.  I've come to realize that the American Dream we are all supposed to work so hard for, isn't my dream.  More importantly, it's ok that it's not.  Hard work isn't the problem.  I enjoy the sense of accomplishment I get from completing a task.  That isn't all there is though.  Neither my husband nor I want to spend all of every weekend doing yard work and household upkeep.  I would much rather be doing something fun with my family.  If we do shirk our responsibilities to go play, the guilt remains.  Life provides ample opportunities to worry and stress ourselves out.  I just want to feel like life is manageable.  That isn't too much to ask for.

Making Healthcare Even More Expensive

Our family makes many trips to the doctor.  Mainly these appointments are for the kids.  Every three months we see the endocrinologist.  The allergy/asthma doctor is another favorite and all 3 kids now see him too.  Then we visit the pediatrician at least yearly and others including the ophthalmologist and gastroenterologist.  Having children with chronic illnesses and pre-existing conditions causes us to make decisions differently than if they didn't.  For example, before ever seriously considering taking a job my husband has to find out all the details of what the healthcare insurance would be.  We must know co-pays not only for office visits and prescriptions but for pump supplies and test strips.  All of this is very expensive.

Yesterday I got a letter in the mail from my primary care doctor, an internal medicine specialist.  It said that he is partnering with a company called MDVIP.  This will allow him to spend more time with each patient by reducing his practice size.  Also, they appear to be emphasizing disease prevention and a wellness program using advanced technology.  Sound good?  Great!  The annual fee for this wonderful program is $1650.  $1650 above and beyond what we pay into our health insurance.  $137.50/month!!  Don't forget that's per person, so for my husband and I both to be exclusive members that would be $275/month.

Is this where medicine is going?  Doctors now aren't making enough from our health insurance so now they want to charge us a membership fee to have the privilege of going to see him?  It definitely will cut down the size of his practice.  Only the most well-off people could even begin to afford this.  That will assure him that no bill should go late and he can buy that bigger house or fancier car.

Yesterday I was shocked.  Last night I was offended.  Today I am just plain mad.  This guy is a fine doctor.  Fine, not excellent or even great.I wouldn't do this even if we had a slight chance of being able to afford it.  It sickens me to think that there are some people who will sign up for this pleasure.  If you are interested in finding out more about this, click here.