The Youngest Victims of Wall Street Greed

[Puppyjive]

James is my son. He is in the 1st grade and just completed a two week wrestling class. He really enjoyed the class and decided to join the wrestling club. The cost to join the club was $15.00. Everything was set. He would go to wrestling 2 nights a week. Then came the news. We just lost our health insurance. You can't wrestle without health insurance. My husband's job is hanging on by a thread and his employer had no choice but to cancel health insurance for all employees. When I picked James up from school yesterday, he asked me if we got the health insurance yet? I had to tell him no. As I was wiping away his tears, it broke my heart. Why have we lost our health insurance? What happened to the fruits of my husband's labor? And the more I think about it, the more I get angry. We don't have a 5 car garage. We have one bathroom. We have never missed a house payment or a car payment. Our only luxury item is a used travel trailer. Our son's college savings is half gone. We didn't have much to invest for him, about $1850.00 to begin with. It is now down below $900.00. I want to find someone who works in the financial industry and take something from them. I don't care what it is, I just want to take it away from them and see how they feel. I get sick to my stomach when I see a Lexus, Mercedes or BMW commercial on tv. I won't watch sports, that industry needs to tank too. I am no financial genius, but I saw the writing on the wall a long time ago. Houses kept getting bigger, but wages remained flat. Our two class society is now imploding before our eyes. But long live the King. HMO's are now the ruling party. We will get insurance for our son. Even though he is only 6 years old, everything must come at a price. We will hand over what money we have left so that some HMO's CEO can drive a Lexus, live in a house with a 5 car garage, and gloat about how dumb people are to pay such high prices for health insurance.

[murray hill farm]

1. What a difficult position to be in....geeez!

I am going to recommend this, but i wish it could get more coverage than here....and hope it does. Your story really cuts to the heart.

[Bertha Venation]

2. Recommended. This should be moved to GD for more traffic.

I'm very, very sorry about your situation.

[Ian David]

3. I see you also had to sell all your carriage returns and can only afford one paragraph.

But seriously though...

Very well said.

It sucks.

And the people at the bottom are getting buried, while the people who caused this mess are zooming around in corporate jets.

[peace13]

4. Wow..

the rudeness around here is becoming a huge obstacle for spending any time at all.

[Ian David]

10. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come across as rude. n/t

[peace13]

11. Thanks for that! n/t

[xxqqqzme]

5. When my son was on the school swim team,

the school offered a low cost policy. That was in the '90s though, so don't know if that option is still available

[satya]

6. We can get a very inexpensive accidental injury policy thru our kids' schools. Could that possibly

satisfy the requirement (assuming that's also available where you live)?

Welcome to DU, so sorry you and your family are having such a rough time. You'll find a lot of company here, though I know that's little consolation.

:hug:

[IndyOp]

7. Please look into SCHIP and other health policies your state might offer...

In Indiana we have HIP - Healthy Indiana Plan - there are similar plans in many states.

:hug: to you and your son.

[truedelphi]

13. I second the notion - those programs are helpful BUT

still to know how weird this country is - that one class of people scammed us for so long.

Most of us saw the writing on the wall, and now that the party is over, we who never benefitted have to pay for the cleanup of that party while little kids cannot join in on sports teams.

Yuckie stupid society.

[progressoid]

8. I know the feeling.

Been there. And it wouldn't take much to get us back there. I hope we can weather this storm.

Don't give up. We're all in this together. :grouphug:

[Seldona]

9. As someone who has washed cars for a dying person,

I can tell you I feel for you. It is amazing that in this country this is even as issue.

How the hell can the right expect to win when their health care plan is essentially be rich or die?

[notadmblnd]

12. some states have programs for children

try checking with your state. I hope things get better for you.

[MsLeopard]

14. Welcome to America in the 21st century

It completely disgusts me to see what has become of our country in the past couple of decades, especially the last 8 miserable years. I hope you find a program that can supply the insurance you need, but past that we need to do away with health care for profit and make our gov't work for us for a change. It's ridiculous that we are the only first-world country (if we are indeed a first world country) that does not provide health care for its citizens. Where's my torch and pitchfork? I'm ready to end this sh*t.

[kaygore]

15. I agree--I believe that we should get our money back from these thieves

and put them in jail for a long time--at their own expense, not taxpayers.

[SOS]

16. Infuriating, but necessary knowledge for the coming civil unrest:

The top 37 health insurance executives received $277 million in compensation in 2007.

http://www.theindustryradar.com/index.cfm?account=radar&page=Healthplan_Executive_Compensation

[WhiteTara]

17. does your state offer SCHIP

I know it was decimated by *; but, you might get lucky!