Out-pacing income: HRC 48/100
14 September, 2016 | Index
Dear Hillary Clinton,
Gerard Mclean here, from Englewood, Ohio, just north of Dayton. There were 100 days from your nomination to election, so I’m writing you 100 letters. This is the forty-eighth letter. The others can be found in your USPS mailbox or online at 100HRC.com
There is celebration all over the news about our incomes surging 5.2% It is an odd use of the word “surging” given that my health insurance has “surged” in double digits since I first obtained my policy from Anthem BC/BS of Ohio in 2002.
The past several years, the annual increases to my premiums alone for 2016–2013, respectively, have been 29%, 20%, 18%, 23% I could go back for every year, but you can see the trend line clearly.
Moreover, I have had to increase my deductibles and max OOP from $2,500 to $7,200 just to push down the premium costs, in hopes I will never have to max out. (I did in 2013–14… oops…) I have also cut back on cable, newspaper subscriptions, portable mifi, some creature comforts. There is nothing left to cut back on now except food. I’m not sure how to do that as I only eat about 3–4 meals a week now as it is.
We need UniversalCare, SinglePayer, MedicareForAll. While I celebrate any increase in income for the hard-working Americans everywhere, I think it only fair that you forgive me for not cheering too loudly over a 5.2% “surge.” The health insurance premium increases far out-pace single digit increases in income.
Regards,
Gerard McLean
cc: Sen. Sherrod Brown
48/54
