Middle Class Definitely Can Be Rough

In a recent article written by one of my peers, the topic of the middle class population falling through the cracks was discussed. The author states that many middle class families can not afford insurance nor out-of-pocket medical costs, but also earn too much for social services, leaving them in a tough spot. Yet, many people receiving government aid feel they can not afford to work because they would then lose their government benefits. I can certainly relate to this! We are a family of six, and by the authors numbers are just above middle class income "limits". While we are able to live fairly comfortably, we can not afford the $420 a month to insure me. My husbands employer pays his premium, and our children are insured, but since I only work part-time and can not get insurance through my employer, we are going on a wing and a prayer that nothing medically bad happens to me. Unfortunately that's just not realistic. A year and a half ago I broke my hand, and the emergency room visit alone cost $600! Therefore, I was unable to see an orthopedic specialist as recommended and consequently live with sporadic pain in my right hand. It is hard for me to not get emotional regarding this topic because I feel I work very hard to be a responsible and productive member of society, yet health insurance is a luxury for me. From my investigating, I have determined it is pretty difficult to get government health insurance for a rather healthy adult, although it would be easier if I had a chronic illness. Even if I could quit working and definitely get government health care, I would still essentially be paying a premium because of the loss of income from my job - I just wouldn't have the copays, I suppose. Either way, it's definitely a catch-22. I am truly hopeful we see some government reform of the health care crisis in our country when we get our new President.

The author also addressed education costs and payment among the poor and middle class. Again, there is a large gap where those that earn a little too much but not quite enough fall. I believe it is great there is such a thing as a Pell Grant and other subsidies for our citizens that qualify (luckily I got this one since we have a large family and are not anyone's dependents!), but agree we could allocate more funds to help those families that can't afford to save for their children's education and subsequently are unable to afford to pay the tuition bill when it comes around. Agreeing with the author, not having a college education is almost not an option these days - but it also doesn't automatically secure employment. It is sad and scary to think of a young person in their early twenties aquiring such large sums of debt with no idea what their future income will be. I have taken out a loan for school as well since the Pell Grant didn't come close to covering my expenses and tuition, but at least I know what my husband earns every month and will likely continue to earn and can decide whether this is a debt I can afford to acquire. My children were blessed with large sums of stock when they were born, but with inflation I still worry about paying for college. In the meantime, I encourage my children to practice and be successful in their chosen extra-curricular activities beacuse Plan B consists of a recording contract or NFL draft pick!

Kidding aside, I, as well as a most of the middle class population, work hard to pay our taxes, support ourselves and our families and generally not be a burden on society. While I do these things because I want to and they are the right things to do, I would like to see our tax dollars going somewhere other than what seems to be a never-ending war amongst other frivolous expenditures our sometimes disconnected government has deemed necessary. On the other hand, we are not victims - we must at least bring these issues to our politcians to make our voice heard and then vote for those who might have a chance of making some of these changes. Being a fairly optimistic person, I am thrilled that these topics are be discussed - even if my faith in Washington is waning.