The first of the month was once again here and the monthly bill paying depression had set in. For the last three years just breaking even was the goal, forget about being in the black
Cutting more costs now seemed out of the question but the bills continue to grow judging by the size of the stack
The promotion and raise had happened but easy street was nowhere to be found
Now there is additional job stress with more responsibility and longer hours as the road to financial freedom never gains ground
The commute alone is $150 more a month for the forty-five minute one way trip
The price of gas has been up two dollars for three years and the cost of operating the car never seems to dip
The new battery was $175 and the two older tires are not showing much tread
The car seemed like a bargain when parked on the lot but no one ever discussed the overhead
And don’t even start a discussion about car insurance or any insurance for that matter
Like vultures in a tree the insurance corporations look for any reason to make their profits fatter
The premium increase notice had been received for both car and health
No claims had been filed for either, so the notice claimed the “price adjustments were never easy” as the unspoken truth was we needed to adjust our wealth
While the ever multiplying “you may owe” letters pour in from the insurer for the regular physicals and procedures that used to paid in full
Now the insurers look at what the physician charges like a red flag in the face of a bull
The doctors are charging more to cover their spiraling office outlay costs and escalating insurance expense
It seems every year a jury awards a 50 million dollar settlement for a botched operation and a huge premium increase is the insurers’ knee-jerk defense
In turn the physicians charge more than the insurance companies pay and pass the difference on to the patient
Perhaps not the amount billed to the underwriters but enough to make their time sufficient
While the patient sits in the examination room answering questions like “Are you feeling depressed?”
Perhaps there is a way a citizen could break from this monthly bill paying torture they absolutely detest
They can purchase a one way ticket to Mexico and walk across the border claiming they are a Central American deportee
And all those bills causing anxiety and sleep deprivation will suddenly be free
An Observer of Life in Bad Poetry 