MontanaMama
MontanaMama's JournalOn being self insured: My health insurance does nothing to insure my health.
It is only insurance against bankruptcy, at best. I just opened an email from our health insurance agent. I shouldn’t have because I knew it would ruin my Sunday…but it’s time to start planning my finances for the new year. The silver plan through Pacific Source that we purchase for my family of three is going up from $1925 to $2100 PER MONTH. This shake down of a “plan” has a $7500 per person deductible.
We’re the owners of two small businesses. Job creators. We pay a living wage and provide a wide variety of benefits our employees can choose from depending on their wants and needs. Because we are self employed, we have to purchase our own insurance and there no competition for small business in my state. There are two companies and a health care co-op to choose from. Blue Cross Blue Shield of MT prices their plans higher than what I’m paying because they don’t want to deal with the individual market. The health care co-op doesn't have providers that we need to see so we’re stuck with $2100 per month.
I guess I should be grateful that I make just above the threshold for getting any kind of tax break or subsidy for insurance on the healthcare marketplace. This is highway robbery. I’ve written to all my congress critters for years. Jon Tester at least replies and says there’s nothing he can do and the rethugs ignore it.
Who has a kiddo voting for the first time in this election?
I see a few of you here: https://www.democraticunderground.com/100218433907
My son voted for the first time today. We voted for city council and mayor. Our mayoral race is going to be tight. One of our choices is funded by the National Organization of Realtors and that’s something that has young people in our city paying attention. Housing is unaffordable here. With single family homes selling for over $700k on average, it is possible that my son will never be able to buy a home in the city he was born and raised. That along with our ever increasing homeless population were the issues my kiddo was focused on.
What were the issues/policies/ideas that your kids were voting for/against?
Best birthday gift! I turn 59 tomorrow.
My 18 year old kiddo got his private pilot’s license last week. For my birthday, he said he would take me for a flight…wherever I wanted to go. FYI, his training plane is a Cessna 152. A very tiny plane so we stayed somewhat close to home. I asked him to take me north of where we live to the Mission Mountains…the gateway to Flathead Lake and Glacier National Park.
Our little plane had to get a jumpstart because it was so cold this morning…but it got better from there.
Here’s a little of what we saw…and yes, it’s winter here already:
It was such a good day.
My 18 year old son is now a certified pilot!
I know the news is as bad as it has ever been and I’m feeling the weight of it as I’m sure you all are. But, I wanted to share with you that my kiddo, Owen, passed his flight test with the examiner and I’m just thrilled for him. He took a gap year from college to sort through lots of things but he’s been working on this goal since last January, the middle of his senior year in high school. He had hit a rough patch and was feeling pretty down when a friend of ours asked if Owen would want to take a plane ride. It was a school day but the child needed a break and we encouraged him to go. From that day, Owen decided he would learn to fly a plane. He found his own instructor and asked if we would pay to get him going.
For the past 4 months, every time I wandered into his room to visit for a minute, fully expecting to be gaming with his pals online he wasn’t…he was looking at charts and figures and flight plans and doing this work on his own. In July, he came to me and said he wanted to pay for his instructor on his own and asked if I would be willing to keep paying for the plane rental, which, of course, I was.
Owen passed the written exam in August and we were finally able to get a Designated Pilot Examiner up here to Missoula to flight test him. It took about 4 hours. Owen didn’t want us to come to the airport so we respected that. But I’m not gonna lie, I had his location pinged on my phone and watched as he drove from the airport to our shop where we were anxiously waiting in the parking lot and he told us that he had passed!
It was just the best day. It is a complete joy to watch your kiddo doing what they love. Owen will begin working in his instrument rating next.
Thanks for reading.
Funiest thing I've seen all day! Imagine HRC in the courtroom...
Image credit to Vic Sepulveda (instagram)
The evening sprinkler play with Maybee and Nova.
It’s HOT here in western Montana. Not Phoenix hot but 100 degrees is hot for us northerners. Three plays a day keeps my border collie from losing her mind. We usually hike but it’s too hot for me to get very far and Maybee needs movement. Her tongue is epic, btw. 
Montana vegetable gardens can be a crap shoot...but this year
I can’t even believe it. I’ve been giving away tomatoes and green beans left and right. I’ve made a crap ton of salsa verde courtesy of a bullet proof recipe from DUer Hotler. I’m looking for recommendations for a canned tomato salsa and a canned marinara. I haven’t canned in years but this year, I’ve got to get my act together. Fast. I’m grateful for this short sweet season.
The face that Maybee dishes out
when I’m not attending to the frisbee fast enough. Is her tongue long enough? Cue the Sarah McLaughlin song…
Made a wonderful salsa verde yesterday...courtesy of DUer Hotler.
I’ve got a bumper crop of tomatillos, cilantro, Serrano and jalapeño peppers and posted about it the other day:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1018&pid=1864052
Hotler suggested a recipe: https://mexicanfoodjournal.com/salsa-verde/ I made the recipe yesterday and oh my gosh it’s so good. Highly recommend. My first batch came out quite hot…I made a second batch with no peppers and blended them and now it’s perfect. I should have seeded the Serrano peppers and will do that next time. Really flexible recipe, freezes well.
Thanks Hotler! 
🌶️
My 18 year old son registered to vote today!
After Owen’s last visit to his pediatric dentist this morning, we stopped at the voter services building here in Missoula to get him registered to vote. The man who helped us talked directly with the kiddo which both he and I appreciated. Our first primary election is in two weeks!
Owen continues to work on his private pilot’s certificate and takes his first night flight tonight. It’s a big day. I’m feeling all the feels.
Profile Information
Gender: FemaleHometown: Montana
Home country: USA
Member since: Mon Oct 31, 2016, 02:23 PM
Number of posts: 23,314