How Does the Financial Crisis Affect the Average Housewife in America?

I have no idea for sure. I am your average housewife for the most part and I've been thinking a lot lately about this whole financial crisis. I don't understand a lot of it honestly. The stock market is about as foreign to me as you can get. I know it's important and that's about it. I have learned to pinch pennies in the last few years. I don't get to go out to dinner anymore, or the movies. If I do it's such a rare treat. I am totally sick of Hamburger Helper with a capital S. I do what I can to cut back and save here and there. We're all feeling it. I know we are. I just want it to end and I want to get ahead some day.

I have plenty of outstanding medical bills because of the cancer and pregnancy. I had two trips on Life Flight. They are pretty expensive flights let me tell you. I spent two days in ICU which cost about the same and 5 days for preterm labor once and another day for preterm labor later. That doesn't count the time I was there when I actually delivered. I got so sick of hospitals.

My insurance was good. We had a max out of pocket but we still had a copay for every visit. I had a lot of docs and a whole lot of visits. Between my oncology doctor, my regular OB, my high risk OB, surgeons and radiation and blah blah blah. There was a lot. I chuckled though because I had a collection agency write me a letter. I do my best to give what I can ok. This collection agency said to me, "We have information about you and happen to know you can pay this bill."
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HAAAAAAAA!!!

What do they know about me that I don't? If they were my ONLY medical bill perhaps. If these agencies had any idea how large of a stack of bills they were sitting in. I still have a hefty amount of bills after insurance. I did get a great chuckle from that message. I didn't get mad. I laughed...and laughed and laughed. It was great. Sometimes these people just have no idea.