stx today,comments

The people I worry about are people like my son and his wife. The both work full time and will not have health insuranceuntil they work at their present jobs for 1 year. In the meantime, health insurance is available -- but certainly not at a price they can afford. Fortunately they don't have children and are relatively healthy. But what happens if they have an accident, or get dengue or swine flu?

Thanks Betty.

Lizard when President Obama was campaigning he told us the truth. He said "I am going to reform health care", he said "I'm going to raise taxes". He is doing what he promised. When I heard that I knew where the money was going to come from. The very people who create jobs. When he was elected I watched carefully who he appointed to his cabinet. I watched the lobbyist. I researched what money was going where and who benefitted. That's when I became outraged and then finally scared. I urge everyone to do the same. Just follow the money trail.

Tammy... Amen. Perfectly said.

Linda J, have them check into catastrophic insurance coverage. It is pretty affordable. It doesn't pay for doctors visits but if something major happens they are covered for hospital stays and surgeries. In Virginia Anthem Blue cross had a policy that 2 of my daughters had. They payed about $120.00 a month and was a HMO type policy. It excluded maternity coverage. I am sure that it has gone up some. My daughter had it 2 and 3 years ago. They were also in their early 20s and I know insurance goes up with age. There is affordable insurance out there you just have to search for it.

Don't we have a different thread for this discussion?

Tami, due respect, but that's what everybody says, it's out there, you just have to search. But no, it's not out there.

Linda J, where do your son and his wife live? I think you are from Kentucky, am I right? I will search.

I appreciate your posts as well Tammy, I hear a lot of my frustration in what you are writing.

Sean

stx, I pretty much only post on this thread unless I have some help to offer on other threads. I don't usually post on the threads that people are out of control trying to promote their own agenda and convince people to believe the way that they do. It is pointless to try and get people to accept your beliefs, values and morals so I try and stay under the radar. This is the only thread that I feel comfortable straying off topic of relocation because it was started for each of us to talk about our lives on STX and in the Virgin Islands. It has morphed into something else for sure. I won't say like other posters don't read it if it offends you. I will simply not post here if people don't want me too. Some people objected most foully to my JJ stories so I keep it to a minimum. I don't like to offend anyone and take great pains not too. If I offend you please just say so. I am kinda dim sometimes and hints don't work for me.

Tami, no worries. We all get to understand each other with each post. The anonymity adds a wild card.
Your comments are relevant. I tried maintaining 2 homes and a business in the states and finally gave in to STX. I was paying state tax, federal tax, self employment tax and on and on. Now I just pay the VI.
Maybe you could become an EDC company down here and enjoy the advantages. I chose to get a job to maximize "my time". The whole financial world is still a mess and who knows if my 401K will ever be worth what i contributed.
STX is a wonderful place for kids even with all the inconveniences. They turn into world citizens. Don't get vexed, we enjoy your company.

Tam, ignore the bullies. Your input is more important than their rantings.

Thanks Tami. The problem is they are here on STX right now and will be for a few more months.

Bombi, I am in no way vexed. I am always hopeful. When we moved here we planned on moving our business here and had all the EDC paperwork going then we hit an enormous road block. Shipping. My customers are world wide and when they call me they needed their product yesterday. Island time won't work for my business and shipping out of STX is crazy expensive. I have great rates with UPS in the states and they can't come close here.

I do want to stay here and raise JJ. For some reason he is only a happy heathy child when he is on "his island".

I had a good productive day today and I have great employees willing to go the extra mile to make things work. We are a family.

Trade, I don't think anyone is bullying me other than the horrible PMs I got regarding my JJ stories. Everyone is just expressing their own opinions. I backed off because I felt that JJs safety was at risk because those PMs were pretty sick. Besides he is getting older and what I think is cute and endearing will become embarrassing to him if it is public knowledge. Besides that he is passing the "cute" stage and becoming a bit of an a hole. I have to get him in check. I am totally over the Jim Carey behavior.

So I do have an endearing story about an employee if anyone wants to hear it. Made my day.

On a totally different note - 2 things.

Does anybody know what's happening with Indulgence salon? There is newspapers up on the widows. Is she closed?

Next time you go past Ferdis Forest on Northside road take a look at the beautiful stone wall that is being built. It is a pleasure to look at.

Linda J, I don't know much about island health insurance. Only my insurance is not widely accepted here so I am going to change when I can. I was in the lab over by Sunny Isle getting JJs lab work done and overheard a discussion about cigna single plan. It seems the lady that came in had cigna and was unemployed and self payed cigna. It seems that is widely accepted on STX. Does anyone posting know who to call about self pay insurance on STX. Betty do I remember you posting about it? I don't know if that helps you or not but maybe someone can post some suggestions.

A couple of years ago, my husband had a high deductible insurance policy, in the case of major medical issues. He went into the hospital emergency room in the middle of the night for some pain issues that sounded to me like a heart attack. It wasn't, but...his health insurance went SKY high, just because we went to the hospital, for a false alarm. (My issues with the hospital billing system are a different post!)

He did not renew. We couldn't afford it. He will go on medicare next month, and we just have our fingers crossed that nothing happens in the next week! I let my insurance drop because we can't afford it. We are not poor, but neither are we wealthy. We are just middle class Americans who can't abide paying the many thousands of dollars to have insurance that doesn't pay when you need it. All they are good for (I'm talking the local coverage) is to get you into specialty clinics in the states, that won't take you without an insurance card.

I am looking forward to change, any change, because what we have isn't working for us. We have been turned down, given special exemptions, had rate increases because we deigned to file a claim, given "certification to the doctors, surgeons, etc" to THEN have the claim denied. At this printing, we would not buy health insurance in the VI.

So...when my husband went into RLS with upper body pains, they asked us during treatment if we had insurance. We told them "not for this"..."we'll pay"...They continued to ask several times about our insurance. I finally said to the nurse, my husband has major medical, it won't pay for this, and we would just as soon not file a claim...she said "give me your card". Like an idiot, I did! Our bill was about $450.00. My husband jokingly said " how about a discount for cash. The teller said NO, YOU HAVE INSURANCE!!! If you didn't have insurance, you would get a discount. (My blood starts to boil.) (BTW, I calculated the non-insured rate, and that is all we paid at check-out.) Hubby was on the phone with them several time, and about a year ago, the representative said she would adjust it to the uninsured rate. WELL.....this week we got a deliquent notice for $178. I swear, I think I would rather take it to court (can I ask for a jury?), BUT...our credit rating is crucial to our business, so we'll probably cave! aarrgh!!!

I tried several years ago to get self-paid Cigna, and it was not available.

sorry about the snotty comment i made about america,i can't watch the news anymore

i have now read the gargoyle 3 times back to back,i'm obsessed with this book it just keeps drawing me back in

Tami, my comment was not directed specifically to you, nor was I in any way offended by your post. I enjoy reading your posts, including those about JJ, and I feel badly that things are rough for you at the moment. My concern was that this thread, stx today, was morphing into the health care reform debate thread, which I purposely "don't read because it might offend me" (as others, not you, might say).

Juanita, I feel your pain. I had a terrible car accident 12 years ago and had no medical. It was catastrophic. I lost everything I owned and could not get much needed surgery. I think if our government would deregulate the insurance companies and let them be competitive across the country cost would come down. If you google best insurance companies you will find that they are all up north in the states. I don't know why their rates are lower and their coverage is better. I am trying to educate myself but just reading the health care reform bill is exhausting. We need more competition between insurance companies but there isn't any because they can't cross state lines or something to that effect. Please forgive me if I am wrong. I'm tired and I need to reread to figure it all out. I even had hope that because the President was trying to socialize our medical care that the insurance companies would cut cost and lower their rates but even though the President says that we can still have the option of private insurance if you read the bill it doesn't sound like you can keep your private insurance. Well you can for a while but don't change anything or you will lose it. You will be grandfathered in for a while and then have to switch. All very confusing. I will keep trying to figure it all out.

At the risk of sounding like a scaremonger or right wing wacko, please all of you over 50 call your doctors and ask when you can get the H1N1 flu shot. I have had the same family doctor for 25 years and he had a very serious heart to heart talk with me while I was back in the states. As I understand it that if you are older you cannot get the H1N1 flu shot. Only young people, pregnant women, people with asthma and other high risk conditions but only if you are under 50. There are two antivirals that are effective against the H1N1 swine flu virus. One is tamiflu. I can't remember the other. He wrote me prescriptions for my family for tamiflu and told me to fill them in the states right away. He asked me if I could get just a regular flu shot on island and I told him I don't get flu shots and I never have had one. He told me to please get a flu shot because I was 51. I laughed and made a joke about the government getting rid of all us baby boomers with the flu because because they spent all our social security money and can no longer afford us. He didn't laugh but gave me a hug and said he would see me next time I was in the states. So you know what I did. I researched the H1N1 virus and how it came to be. It's a good thing that I don't believe all I read and that I am so hopeful.

Good night all. I am not crazy or a person who believes in conspiracy theories but I do read Steven King. lol.

dead at work tonight so i wandered over to kendricks to see how they were doing,looked like they had 3 tables and a couple people at the bar,then i went down to zebo's to see if joe got the books i left for him,he told me he's reading a book called "the fool" they had 1 table outside and 6 people at the bar,we did 3 tables all night saw a few people going down to bacchus this was about 7pm or so and there was a copcar and ambulance down at the water front for about a half hour with the lights flashing

stx, you are so right. Let's move this back to the other thread. Let's keep this one for our individual craziness. I morphed it to my own agenda without meaning too. Yea! I have an agenda too. Don't we all?

that was very well said bombi, i like the line about "world citizens" it's so true

heres a farming question, how am i going to keep the bugs and bats away from my papaya's are there like bags to put over the fruit or what