All summer I‘ve been trying to be grateful for the things I have, but the past week has been really hard. I’m feeling really resentful of all the moms that have returned to the city from their covid rentals and summer houses. I realize that this is lame. But the jealously is getting to me. My life is just a mess. It was easier when I didn’t have to be around people. Now I’m even lonelier.
Hugs.
Never compare your inside to someone else's outside.
I'm sorry. It has definitely widened the gap between the very wealthy and the ones who are not. How did the pandemic affect you financially?
Small business owners in fitness
I am really sorry.
I’m sorry for your financial situation. I can relate, as DH has been out of work since March and my work/pay is considerably reduced. Yet we live in a neighborhood where many people fled to second homes or rented places outside the city, while have not left this entire time. I wish I knew someone else IRL who can relate!
np. There are many like you, probably not in your immediate circle. People also don't like to talk about their financial troubles, so you can't know, others may be having problems too. We were hit hard for a few months too, so I am scared to spend on anything unnecessary. No vacation rentals for us either. I am glad we somewhat bounced back and appreciate everyone being healthy so far.
PSM where do you live? I’m uws.
Yes, we are in the range boat, where we recently moved to an expensive downtown neighborhood for the good schools and now we find ourselves barely hanging on after dh lost his job and hasn't been able to find anything else yet. Everyone around us are either in their country homes and we haven't so much as left the city since January and I feel sad, depressed, but just trying to be hopeful that something gives and we don't lose our apartment at least since we're just about out of our savings.
Different crises affect different people in different ways. The IT bubble wiped out many tech investors and lawyers who went in-house to work for tech companies (never found legal work again afterwards). The financial crisis permanently destroyed careers/families who were dependent on the financial sector (bankers, lawyers). This crisis hit many restauranters and small business owners.
The difference is that those folks were in “high risk, high reward” industries. This pandemic is hitting lower to mid socio-economic classes disproportionately
Not necessaily true. Lots of first - third year associates were laid off. They never had a chance to pay off student loans. Law is not a high risk/high reward career. But I knew someone would say that the finance bros and their spoiled families shouldn’t get any empathy. However many never found another job and were devastated. I hope you aren’t the OP.
^ and the less specialized workers are much more likely to find another job. The 28 year old former law associate often had to leave law for good. The 42 year old IBanker never found anything. Scores of support staff were laid off too - neither high risk nor high reward. Get out of your bubble.
Senior level people are having a hard time finding new jobs at the same pay they were getting before being laid off from Covid. It is slamming upper middle class people( or middle class for NYC standards).We had to go on medicaid because cobra was way to expensive and not possible to afford on UI benefits.
I’m OP. The insurance situation is horrific. One of the main reasons we are screwed is bc we spent all our savings on insurance and medical pre covid. As small business owners we had to buy our own insurance. Now we are losing our businesses. Doubled F’ed
I hope one of the silver linings of this pandemic will be more votes for universal coverage. We have been buying our insurance for 11 years and it is becoming worse and worse each year, I feel like a third rate citizen with crappy coverage and high deductible. But most people never realize how bad it is until they have to pay 100% of their premiums. Next year's rates will be shocking, I am sure.
Honestly, if we truly understood just how much it was going to cost us to buy good insurance when we went into our own businesses we wouldn‘t have done it. Thanks America.
Hi - im sorry for what you’re going through, but you’re not alone. It’s such a tease to see people living high while you are living low, but please know, that i Know one such family who seems to have it all on the outside second home fancy schools etc and the husband is fucking everyone he talks to, so... there you go.
i feel like in my sad empty life i wish for more info about this family
What more can you want to know - this is one of those families leading the life you’d like to lead. They’ve got it all on the outside and nothing on the inside. I’m trying really hard to appreciate what I have - it’s not grand on the outside, but it’s fine, but its really meaningful on the inside. I read a great article about change . Going to see if I can find it and will share here. I lost my job during the pandemic, but I rebounded. And im ok, maybe better. Make changes.
np: I have a second beach home and our DC goes to a private school and my DH doesn't sleep with others. Sometimes it just is what it is. I went through some very difficult years and I imagine there will be difficult years again. Just stay in your lane. Be grateful for what you have whether it's a little or a lot.
The health care system here is an abomination. It’s terrible. I fear for our future. We are unraveling.
Next year will be a huge mess with so many people who have lost their insurance. BCBS already wanted to raise my premium by close to 20% in June, due to the pandemic. Most people were not even using their insurance during the Spring. I can even imagine the prices for next year.
They probably wanted to raise the premia presciently, knowing what was to come. Insurance develop models for the future and don’t react after the fact.
Many businesses will have to suffer losses but not the health insurance companies? Millions are without jobs and with very bleak prospects, but the shareholders can't handle one year of losses? The model is totally wrong. They can raise prices because this is an industry with pretty inelastic demand and the players are becoming fewer and fewer. Prices for health care shouldn't be allowed to go up like that.
Insurance companies Are only allowed 1 % profit. The real problem is the cost of hospitals, anesthesiologist, cancer treatments, etc. Companies are forcing employees to pay a larger share of benefits while covering routine cate, major treatments , and IVF.
@Anonymous Link to that rule? They are subject to the 80/20 rule, I have never heard of the 1% cap and they certainly have higher net margins. One of the reasons premiums go up so much is that they must spend 80% on medical claims, so the insurers themselves have interest in letting claims grow in order to justify raising premiums and thus increasing the total amount of that 20% they are left to work with.