A Money Tree to pay for Medical Care

Sometimes I wish we all had a money tree growing in the backyard. Then we could all afford medical care for our families. This week I learned that I would not have enough hours per week to maintain my affordable premium. My run was cut by 15 minutes per day or 1 hour per week and my payroll deduction goes from $52 per pay to $200 per pay!!!!! Are you fucking kidding me? That is 1/3 of my bi-weekly pay! Does this seem fair?

My local school workers union has been in contract negotiations with the School Board since last December. We currently have a mediator and it seems that we are basically screwed if we want to keep our jobs. Even though our district is thankfully very stable financially, they insist that because of "of the current economic environment, we have to be frugal." Ok, I get it, but lets be fair also. We hold to the idea that if they want us to give up our meager 2% pay increase per year so should administrators. However the administrators continue to receive pay increases of 3% or more and many are banking on 6 figure salaries. In addition they maintain affordable Health Insurance deductions.

I'm pissed. In addition to this contract bullshit, our last contract was imposed on us and we had to go to take it to court. The School Board lost and appealed the decision until it went all the way to our State Supreme Court who ruled that the lower courts were correct in their decision. Three years later and almost a million in tax payer money on legal fees, the School Board had to pay up on both retro pay and health insurance deductions from an illegally imposed contract.

Because my husband is unemployed and going back to school, I will have to drop health insurance for my family and cover myself only. I am scared and royally pissed off at the same time. I won't even get started on the fact that I am ready to leave this wonderful and beautiful country that I call home because our government is failing us in so many ways.

I know that I am not alone but that doesn't make it any easier. I can only hope for the best and take one day at a time. Maybe order will appear from chaos and suddenly we could all grow a money tree in our backyard. But isn't money what got us in this fucking mess in the first place?$?$?