What does a single mother, or single parent do, when they've done everything right, but are in debt up to their eyeballs from healthcare bills?
My baby sister's journey....
I am worried. I am stressed out. I am pissed off!
My "baby sister" just 1 year younger than myself at 31 years old, is a single mother. She's was not a scholar in high school, but she graduated. She is DEFINITELY a hard worker, never shirked a day of work or responsbility in her life. And then one day she became pregnant about 7 1/2 years ago. Her boyfriend of 2 1/2 years freaked out on her and then revealed to her that he actually had a wife. He ran, ran, ran, ran...far, far, far away and he never looked back. Devastated, she didn't know what to do, but she knew she was on her own after that coward revealed his cards. So, my baby sister initally thought that she would give the baby up for adoption, she didn't think she could do it on her own. You know..she wasn't the "school-type", didn't have a college degree...what kind of life could she give her daughter?
However, she realized that the jewel growing in her womb was valuable to her and to her family...a life, something to be celebrated. (DON'T GET ME WRONG HERE. ALMOST ALL OF US IN MY FAMILY WANTED HER TO HAVE AN ABORTION OR GIVE IT UP FOR ADOPTION. SHE, and SHE ALONE DECIDED TO KEEP THE BABY...and NOT for religious reasons. But we supported her in her decision no matter what! And "B" is our pride and joy now...)
SO, my Baby Sister kept the baby. And other than a $150.00 voucher she received each month, from HUD or a HUD-like government program, to help pay for her rent in Utah, she never received any assistance. She worked and has worked hard for many years at the same god-forsaken warehouse. She started off at minimage wage but has worked herself up to $10.00 an hour after many years. She only recently was able to obtain health insurance for her and her daughter.
But before she was able to get insurance, she got a severe yeast and kidney infection that nearly took her life. She became very ill and was eventually hospitalized... she had no insurnace for herself and was out of work for more than two weeks and she racked up $12,000 in hospital bills. Someone who worked, never missed a day unless her daughter was sick ("B" has a mild form of epilepsy and so my baby sis never takes a day off for her own sick days, so she can save them for her daughter.) is mired in debt from a bad few weeks of health.
Now, she has creditors chasing her down, they're garnishing her wages (which they can do in Utah) for a healthcare bill...and she's never made more than $10.00 an hour..she's always paid her bills on time, she does not walk away from her duty!
FUCKING PLEASE TELL ME WHAT IS SHE SUPPOSE TO DO? WHAT DO THE FUCKING "JUST SAY NO" REPUBLICANS PROPOSE for people in my sister's situation?
Why is my sister in such dire circumstances when she works so hard? She works up to 52 hours a week -- my niece forced to endure before school, school, and after school -- just so my sister can attempt to make ends meet?
What is wrong with our society when someone who does everything right, within their capacity, is forced and driven into the ground, driven into poverty, and told to "FUCK OFF" by the system, by the government?
I am so mad! I know that my sister's experience is not the only one! I know that there are countless others out there with similar stories.
[ON a side note, I get so pissed off at ABC and their "EXTREME HOME MAKEOVER" doing something ostentatious and over the top for families "down on their luck"...well, just think how much they could do if they remodeled an entire apartment complex that was composed of mostly single mothers or single parents and their children. A day care, a play ground, not over the top houses, but homes where mothers and single parents can take care of their children in a good environment.]
Back to where I was going...what do the flipping Repugs propose? What are their solutions? And don't give me some bullshit answer that says she can get up to $12,000 in tax reductions for health care...Huh? are you serious? She barely makes that much money A YEAR!....What is our country telling my sister and families in similar situations when they all work hard, they live up to their responsibilities, yet their children and themselves still are unable to have health insurance?
If we're a "Pro-life" country, as the Republicans propose, why do they only support "life" up to the point of birth? Why are so many families, like my baby sister, allowed to be the working poor? No opportunities, not real home, no healthcare?
My baby sister has worked so very hard. She is so kind and so loving. She never asks for anything...yet she, like so many others are told to go to hell. As if they have no worth in our society.
Why aren't people outraged? Why aren't we demanding more? Why do the wealthy, the uber wealthy allowed to have so much and let so many hard workers go without?
I am pissed...I'm not going to take it anymore and doubt America will either!
I am pissed...Why aren't people outraged?
UPDAT: I appreciate what everyone is saying about going after the father of "B". I want to point out that my "baby sister" has done this and has been unsuccessful in obtaining a single penny from this guy. It's a very complicated situation that I won't go into here right now.
People seem to be missing the point that I am trying to make here. My sister didn't have to be a single mother. She could be, perhaps, YOU! Someone who has worked hard but is unable to afford insurance. Someone who worked hard and had insurance but is unable to afford COBRA. My point is that my sister was sick for a couple of weeks and racked up a bunch of debt because she didn't have insurance. And now, a single mother who has done everything right within her capacity, is pursued and hunted down by creditors to pay this huge hospital bill...to the point where they are garnishing her measley wages. I could have shared a story of friends that I know who are forced into bankruptcy from medical bills. Why do we allow hardworking Americans in this country to lose everything and be hunted down by creditors because they were sick, or lost a job, or were unable to afford health insurance?!!"