Will I Be The 3rd Generation Of My Family To Go Healthcare Bankrupt?

Please, God, let me break this cycle for my children

Photo by Online Marketing on Unsplash

I have a job. I write for a major digital platform that attracts 82 million unique readers each month.

Mostly due to my other job, though, I’m only able to cram in 28 hours of work per week writing. Therefore, I’m paid hourly and I’m not eligible for insurance.

I took on my second job four years ago. It’s a very demanding line of work — that’s why I can only work 28 hours in my first job. Here are some of the requirements of my second gig:

• Full-time companion, 24/7/365 (with occasional, though not regular, breaks)
• Meal preparation, three meals a day
• Administrative tasks
• Activity planning
• Driving/supervising Ubers
• Administering medication
• Assisting with bathing and dressing
• Physical/occupational therapy supervisor
• Other tasks as needed

You may have guessed that I am a full-time caregiver — for my mom, who moved in with me in 2016. As fellow caregivers can attest, in this position, when I say I am on the job 24/7/365, it is not an…