Is There Affordable Health Insurance?

After being employed by companies that offer health benefits and by ones that don't, I have to say I miss my BCBS Blue Options. My income is minimal considering I am trying to raise two teens; sometimes it feels like you need to own a bank full of unlimited funds to accomplish such a feat. Regardless, one of the things I have not been able to afford for myself with my new job is some sort of NC health insurance. I knew when I took the job I have that I was not going to have any benefits. That said, one might ask, "What the heck were you thinking!?" I needed a job at the time and figured having one was better than not having one, and it's ofter easier to get a job when yo have a job. Anyway, I need to do something about my options for paying for my health care needs, and not having health insurance sucks!

How do you decide?

What factors come into play when you need to compare one job to another?

Location: Do you want to commute or work locally?

Salary: How do you determine what you need to make a job worth staying with long term?

Benefits: Do you want them included in the offer for employment or as an option for your to purchase?

Work Hours: Straight 40 hours per week, government holidays, accrued vacation, and sick time, or 28-32 hours per week for 46 weeks of the year boosted by a six week 67 hours per week stint?

What would you do if you took a job with no benefits, minimum hours in the off season, extensive hours for a six week stint, because you needed a job in order to make more than the allowed amount of unemployment and then you were offered a year round full-time job, full benefits and a higher salary? If you enjoy the job you are in and the people you are working with, how do you decide to give it all up and take the "logical" one? Will the logical one pay off in the long run? What if the offer depended upon 4 months training at which time you might not be accepted into the position for which you applied? Would you have given up a good deal in the move?

These are the questions I need to ask myself. I've grown accustomed to their faces, voices and life stories. It will be a sad thing to leave them ... but for now, until I have heard that the company wants me for the position I will remain dedicated to my current employer. More later ... sigh ... time for some sleep.

Is it a good thing or a bad thing?

Three weeks ago I started working part-time at a company that has a great team of people. There are drawbacks though, from no benefits for health insurance, dental, or vision, no pension or retirement plan, pays only once a month and for the better part of the year you only work 28 hours per week. Today I found out that the only way to increase one's hourly rate is to increase the amount of sets of books we complete each month. In order to get a raise you need to successfully manage TEN sets of books. There is one woman there that has been there for five years and is still making the same amount of money as when she started. My boss said it all depends on how hard you want to work for your money. If we want to make a dollar more per hour then we need to get our skills honed to take on those ten sets and soon ... sigh ... wish me success! There are benefits that tend to make this job a desirable one, like a great cast of characters to work with, a Spanish class on Mondays and Thursdays, and three day weekends. I hear tell there are paid holidays, a holiday bonus and a tax season full of hours to stock up on the months with less pay. So, for now we work.