Becca Jane St Clair

Personal Blog

The Face of ObamaCare

This is MissM:

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Lately, Miss M has been gaining attention all over the internet for this photo (even though she posted it months back). And every time I read some of the comments, I can’t help but jump in and talk about Miss M, because she is my friend.

When I call her my friend, I mean it. She is my friend. She is not an “internet friend” (though we did meet via a community on LiveJournal years ago!). Miss M and I have met-up on several occasions. I have been to her house, I have met her fiancé, and I have fussed at her kitties. My husband, mother, and one of my cousins have also met her. We call each other on the phone (thank you Skype!), we text (when it’s working), and we keep in touch via email, facebook, and twitter when we’re not commenting on each other’s blogs. I helped her start up PhoenixFunds, and I continue to support her and search for help for her. Therefore, when I comment and say “Miss M is a friend of mine”, I really do mean friend. And yes, I know what the M stands for. No, I’m not going to tell you. While Miss M appreciates all the support she is given, she does not want her full legal name out there on the internet, and I respect that.

As a long-time friend of Miss M, I know what she’s been through. She’s not kidding when she said she tried all other avenues for assistance.

But here’s the sucky part for her. It’s not over. Sure, she had her surgery in October, but the thing with major surgery is it takes ages to get over. Heck, I only had minor surgery on my armpit and it knocked me down for months afterwards. Miss M had major surgery and is looking at at least a year to a full recovery. On top of the months she already was ill. So by the time next October rolls around, she will have been out of work for a year and a half. And while she’s in recovery, she needs to see her doctors. Her insurance costs $250/month. This is on top of having to pay for the part of her surgery that wasn’t covered by the insurance. She owes around $10,000 for the surgery, and for her ER visit before she was able to gain insurance. She’s in a bit of a catch-22 — if she doesn’t pay $250/mo for her insurance, she has to start paying out of pocket to see the doctors. If she doesn’t pay back on the $10k, it goes into collections and puts her farther into debt making it impossible to afford the $250, and if she pays out of pocket to see the doctors, that adds even more to the $10k, never mind the fact that the doctor will want some of that money up front. And if she misses a month of paying $250, she goes right back to the beginning in terms of her deductible, which means shelling out $1000 up front before it starts to cover things.

And then you hear the “advice” – cut out Starbucks, drive a less expensive car, get rid of satellite TV, get rid of your iPhone, etc etc….but the thing is….Miss M doesn’t have or do any of those. She’s not a Starbucks junkie, her car is an older model (which means it needs to be repaired more frequently, which costs money…see? Catch-22), she doesn’t have satellite TV, and she doesn’t have an iPhone. She has an iPod touch that her fiancé gave to her several years ago because it was given to him at work as a Christmas gift, and he knew she wanted one. Her mobile phone is not snazzy, but she can’t get rid of it because since she drives an older car that is prone to breaking down, she needs to be able to call for help when she needs it (catch-22 again). And honestly? Cutting out a $30 bill isn’t going to magic $10,000.

I also know for a fact that Miss M participates in as many points sites as possible and earns points she can cash in for other things, like meals out, Amazon gift cards, her Disney pass, etc. Nothing that this woman does is done for the hell of it, and if she has any “disposable income”, well, I know it goes towards supplies for her business, food for her cats, or other necessities (you know, clothing, toiletries, food…).

It hurts me when people on other websites that have picked up her photo and story make nasty comments about her. I know I’m preaching to the choir here, because if you’re reading this entry, you are probably a friend and have probably read my other posts about Miss M, but if you’ve googled for more information about her, I hope you’ve stumbled upon this.

Ways to Help
I am NOT asking you to donate money to aid Miss M, but if you’re in the market for some jewellery, please visit her site or Etsy shop. Valentine’s Day is coming, and I can vouch that her pieces are stunning. I myself own a tree of life and snowman earrings, my mom has a custom bracelet, and my mother-in-law received a nestlace (bird’s nest pendant) that Miss M personalized with an un-heard of SEVEN birthstone pearls for her children and children-in-laws. I also have many one of a kind pieces Miss M has gifted to me over the years, including some lovely purple earrings I wear all the time and a red and gold beaded bookmark.

If you do want to donate, you can do so via both PayPal and GoFundMe.

Other links you might find useful:

Her Blog: http://giveneyestosee.com/blog

PhoenixFunds: http://PhoenixFunds.etsy.com

PhoenixFireDesigns on Etsy: http://PhoenixFireDesigns.etsy.com

PhoenixFire Designs: http://www.phoenixfiredesigns.com

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The contents of this post, including images are © Rebecca J Lockley and Tim Lockley unless otherwise stated and should not be reproduced without permission. If you are not reading this on http://blog.beccajanestclair.com, my facebook page, the RSS feed(s), or through an e-mail subscription, please notify me.

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4 Comments so far

  1. miss m January 30th, 2012 15:30

    Thanks for posting this hon. A couple nights ago I couldn’t even sleep because I kept thinking about the hateful lies and terribly mean things people say in response. It astounds me the level of attacks people make on me personally – all because they believe there shouldn’t be a change in the way healtcare is managed in America.

  2. Rebecca January 30th, 2012 15:38

    I think I get just as upset as you! I sit here and FUME as I write out reply after reply…only to get told things like “internet friends aren’t real friends” or “tell her to get rid of her x” and it just infuriates me! There’s only SO MUCH a person can get rid of and cut back on until there’s nothing left. You know I know, because I’ve been there. *hugs*

    I also love defending the NHS, too. So if you ever need a story to post, make sure you dig up the links to my surgery last year: http://www.blog.beccajanestclair.com/tag/nhs/

  3. miss m January 30th, 2012 15:50

    I swear, if I hear one more time that I need to get rid of my iPhone I might just explode!!

    It’s just hateful, blatant lies over and over stated as fact. Oh! Like I love how many people say the whole story is a lie because it doesn’t go into effect until 2014 so I’m lying. How about you take two seconds to google PCIP and you’ll see what it is?? GRR.

    I’ll be sure to remember your NHS link now.A cousin of mine moved to Canada years back to marry her husband and she even gave up her US citizenship and became a Canadian and can’t understand why so many people defend the US system of “healthcare” since it’s so clearly broken.

  4. Rebecca January 30th, 2012 16:25

    Hmm. Since I use Stonehenge in my blog header, does that mean I own it? It’s not like you’re posting “oh, I have an iPhone”. The only thing is the iPod touch programs sometimes get called an “iPhone”, but a simple “I have an iPod Touch” should be sufficient. And even if you HAD an iPhone, you wouldn’t be able to sell it for much anyway. Maybe $100. And then you’d be out a phone and I’m pretty sure new phones probably cost at least $50 for basic models. So really, what would be the point anyway?

    Oh wow. I haven’t decided yet if I’ll be giving up my US Citizenship when I gain UK Citizenship. Did Canada make her give it up or did she do it willingly?

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