On Feb. 1 I am going naked. Completely buck wild naked. Here is why.
On Feb. 1 I will be naked. And not just when I step out of the shower and get ready for my first meeting. I will be naked all day. I will be naked all week, month and year. Unless I make the decision to dissolve my small business and go back to the corporate mother ship, I will be naked until health care is reformed in this country.
I am a small business owner. Maybe a micro business owner would be more applicable. Eighteen months ago, the consulting company I worked for over five years released all of it's consultants. I made a few calls, lined up a contract, incorporated and printed some business cards. One contract has followed another and eighteen months later I find myself on fairly firm footing. Contracts are lined up through '08 and we are slowly building a reserve to take us through the inevitable lean periods.
When I left my previous employer, I signed up for COBRA. I am only 36 but I am kind of a fat grrl. Years of living on the road left me unhealthy. At the time of the lay-off, I was seeing a doctor about high blood pressure and high liver enzymes. All my fault. I wasn't taking good care of myself. So I changed my diet - no easy feat when you live in hotels - started getting more excercise - ditto - and resigned myself to no longer being the life of every party. I have pretty much quit smoking. All good changes that I should have made a long time ago. But my medical records follow me like a vicious puppy.
What healthcare I can get is extremely expensive. Even if I take a massive deductable and sock away the money to pay it, the premiums would amount to my single largest business expense after taxes. By far.
In a bit of bitter irony, my father passed away after a very long struggle with cancer on Feb. 1 of last year. He was originally given 18 months but due largely to spectacular health care paid for by his Defense Dept. pension he lived for over 4 years. I remember him commenting once that the guys in his chemo "class" passed away roughly in the order of their insurance coverage. Dad was the last in his class to pass away. I would give my eye teeth to be able to buy into Dad's old policy. I would pay what it costs without reservations. But that policy was only for government employees. Like our elected representatives.
Faced with a choice between paying huge premiums (and having to bank thousands for a deductible) and just banking the money for a rainy day, I have chosen to bank for a rainy day and go naked. The cost of the pills that keep my ticker from popping and relieve the ache from a shoulder broken just before 9-11 are not outrageous. If something crazy comes up, I suppose I will use the bank to truck over to India and get it taken care of. And, yes, I realize how extremely lucky I am to have those options.
I have reconciled myself to the concept of nudity. But it really makes me wonder what in the hell is going on in this country. I mean, I did what I was supposed to do. I got a degree in a "hard" subject. Then I got an advanced degree. I worked hard and rolled that into a fairly lucrative career. When that went bust I used what I had learned and started my own business. I worked hard and made the business successful. Isn't that what America is supposed to be all about?
I don't feel I can expand my business in good faith because I can't afford to pay for "good" insurance for my employees. Right now I am virtual with a part time Ops Manager. I can't ask her to leave her full time gig because I can't offer her equivalent benefits. Someone please explain to me how this can be reconciled with the American dream.
Hard work is not enough. Playing the game is not enough. Small businesses like mine can't expand because we can't provide benefits. Small business owners like myself are making the choice to go naked rather than drain their bottom line. Someone please explain to me how this is good for America.