We were on a pretty nice run there for a bit with bitcoin looking like it was going to push back over $90K and maybe make its way up to $100K again. Then we kind of stalled out and now here we are sitting at $85K or so. It's not a horrible place to be, but I think we can all agree higher is always better. The good news is, it also seems to be pulling the HIVE price up a bit too. Of course, it isn't proportional, but up is up no matter what that amount might be.
Meanwhile, the world just seems to still be in turmoil. Gas is over $5 per gallon across much of the US, wars are still going on, shenanigans are still taking place at the highest level, and all the crap rolls downhill to regular folks like us.
@mrsbozz and I got an email from our employer the other day talking about how our health insurance company has released their premiums for the 2027 year and they are significantly higher than last year. They are projecting a 21% increase in premiums which is just absolutely ridiculous.
The district says they are going to try to negotiate with the company to see if they can get the rates lower, but the problem is usually to lower the premiums they increase the deductible. We are already paying $5000 per person for our deductible, so I don't really see how they can increase it much more.
Even worse, is some of the other workers in the district. My wife and I are DINKs (Dual Income, No Kids), so absorbing the extra cost isn't as big of a deal for us, but for others in the district like many of the hourly workers who are living paycheck to paycheck, this will be devestating.
I did a bit of Google research, and it appears a simple appendectomy in the US costs $6,000 to $44,000. That same procedure in Vietnam is $1200 to $10,000. Better yet, in someplace like Finland the public healthcare system funds 100% of the procedure.
Of course, some will try to argue that the quality of doctors and care in general is better in the US, but I am not buying that. Maybe when I was a kid, but these days, I don't think things are quite so black and white like that.
These are dangerous waters we are swimming in and I have a feeling before too long there is going to be a breaking point. I'm not condoning violence at all, but it is starting to become easier to understand why that guy shot that insurance company executive a year or so ago. Again, I'm not saying it's right and if he isn't just a patsy he should definitely be punished, but my empathic side says I get it. I can kind of understand the frustration and hopelessness that might drive someone to do that.
@mrsbozz got a bit of a raise this year with her new contract, and I was hoping to maybe take some of that increase and bump up our Roth IRA contribution each month. Unfortunately now, it looks like I should probably hold onto that money because we are going to need it for our health insurance increase.
I remember before the increase last year I was talking to the business director and he said that there were some workers in the district who would end up owing the district money to cover their health insurance costs after the increase. As I said, I can only imagine what kind of dire straits this is going to put them in now.
Of course another option on the table is completely changing our health insurance company, but that comes with a whole other cluster of problems. Suddenly people who have been going to the same doctor for years find that their provider doesn't accept their new insurance. It's an absolute hot mess with zero perfect options outside of a massive overhaul of the health care system. However, we know that won't happen as there is just too much money involved at the highest level.
The hope was that one day crypto could pull us above all of this and for some of the lucky few who got in early and waited to sell, that is definitely the case, but for many of us, we are still holding the bag and waiting.
It makes you wonder how many cruise missiles it would take to provide healthcare to the entire country. The government would have to put the health care system in check first, but just imagine how awesome it could be.
Maybe one day...
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