I am a little behind on some very important news that I must put my opinion on. I did not know until last week that Health Insurance is mandatory in Massachusetts. I learned this as I was checking my mail and in it there was a postcard telling me I must have health insurance by 12/31/07 or they will hit my taxes.
How can Mass actually make Health insurance mandatory? This is absolutely crazy. Especially in a state were most of the businesses only hire through temp agencies to be able to bypass the system and not even offer insurance to their workers.
In the past I had health insurance through the company that I worked many years for. The company was slowly dwindling away from layoffs due to business going overseas. It got to the point that even the people that remained had to take unpaid time off monthly. So I decided it would be best for me to look for a job somewhere else where I could feel more secure instead of waiting to go out of business or get laid off.
There was not one place that wanted to hire directly. Every place I went to hired through agencies. So I started submitting my resume to these agencies. Well I got many offers. All offers were either straight out temp or temp to hire. So I picked the business that was the largest most secure in there field. It was also a contractual temp to hire.
When I started this job I was exited. I could not wait for my 6month contract to end so that I would be hired. Well my excitement about this new job shortly faded as some of my coworkers told me that they had been there for 2 yrs and still have not been hired. Now I have been here for a year, and still I am a temp. I am a great worker and get praised on a daily bases. My boss wishes he could hire me but can not as there is some kind of permanent to temp ratio that must be kept.
Sure this company has good benefits for the people that were hired before the temping agencies took over the scene. But, for us hard working contractual temps – nothing.
For the people who might say, “well get your own health plan”, must not realize how much insurances charge someone to carry there own insurance. I am talking $1200.00 per month for a family plan. How is this possible for a mother to raise her 4 sons, pay rent, car bills, utilities, food, and still have $1200.00 for health insurance. I guess it is possible for a Doctor or a Lawyer but for me it is absolutely impossible.
Lets face it if I can drop $14,400.00 per year on insurance I would be able to pay for my doctor bills straight out with money left over. No need for insurance.
Right now my uninsured family and I go the doctors when needed. I pay as I go. When emergencies happen I go to the hospital. From there I get a bill. If I do not start making payment arrangements they will take me to court. So I have to pay. The state can not use nonpayment as an excuse. People are forced to pay.
So I ask, why will I get hit on my taxes because I do not have insurance? I am already paying more than the person that pays for insurance through there employment (because the company picks up most the tab) as I must pay the full doctor bill. So now I will get less on my taxes? I need my taxes to buy my children clothes that I can not afford the rest of the year. Sure I can purchase my own insurance and live in my car but then they would take my children away for neglect.
All I can do is let them hit my taxes were it hurts and this really ticks me off. This state is always coming up with ways to screw there citizens. What will they do next? Mandatory 401K, or mandatory funeral arrangements (well they already started to dig my grave). I mean these things are great but if you can not afford them you just CAN NOT afford them. How can they make me afford something? Next year I am moving to New Hampshire. I was born and raised in Haverhill but I can not take Massachusetts any longer. You can take your dog bans, taxes, and your mandatory health insurance and enforce it on everyone else. I will be in New Hampshire where I can live free or die. Sure New Hampshire is not perfect either but at least they do not try to control every aspect of your life. Good bye, good riddance, and my condolences to all whom stay and reside in Massachusetts.
