Adventures in Unsocialized Medicine

When I was studying abroad in London, I had some fun experiences with socialized medicine (that later led to 4 weeks in a foot brace, but that's another story). I'm not a hypochondriac, I'm not plagued by terrible medical maladies (thank goodness), but I am pretty clumsy and pretty.. well, clumsy pretty well covers it.

I also haven't had a physical in 5 years (switching insurance companies 3 times in 3 years while away at college didn't help). I'm one of the lucky few (again, I'd like to send a big "thank you" to those of you who killed our economy) who have full-time employment and affordable health care. Unfortunately, this "affordable" health care comes from that lovely company known as Humana. I've encountered Humana before, when I worked as a researcher for the Project on Government Oversight. We researched Humana and found over $125 million in lawsuit losses. What a model company.

I'm furious right now because they're denying a claim from my recent tetanus shot with whooping cough booster. I haven't had a tetanus shot in over 10 years. Unfortunately, according to Humana, after I turned 18 I lost all rights to immunization. That's right - after you're legally an adult, you can no longer get all those wonderful diseases prevented by vaccination. What a time saver!

My coworkers have also had wonderful experiences with Humana, ranging from sudden revelations that in-network doctors are now out-of-network to a policy that makes deductibles for surgeries astronomical.

Well, Humana, you messed with the wrong Jersey Girl. Thanks to your policy (page 17, section 2, paragraph 4), I, along with my coworkers, will be pressuring my employer to change providers. They may not be much better, but I'll take the risk because they're probably better than you.

Making a habit of it

I just got a comment on my last post and realized that I've kind of abandoned this blog. Thanks to MizFit (*waves*). I'm going to try to update more regularly, but I always bounce between boring the (few) people who read this and actually updating more than once every few weeks.

The job search continues for many (not for me, but for many of my friends). I'm trying to help out the best I can, but there's only so many LinkedIn and Talentzoo searches one can do. I do want to recommend Talentzoo to all my recent grad/ad industry readers - it's a great resource for jobs in ad/marketing/PR. The economy, however, isn't playing along:

According to CNN, unemployment is up to a 4 year high, so let's add that to Alyssa's list o' things to ignore in order to remain optimistic.

Sigh.

I'm not an expert on any of this, but I think that after all this job-hunting, adjusting, post-grad crisis stuff is over, I may be. Is there any sort of certification for job counselors? How about life counselors? That's me. (Not saying I don't like it! I love being there for my friends! I just want a certification!)

Maybe I'm certifiably... something (ha!)

Anyway, this post is getting rant-tastic, so I'm going to sign off now. This week has (yet again) been completely exhausting, and I'm staying late at work tonight to help with a video shoot. I need a glass of wine.

A week of long days

It's been one of those days for a lot of days now
I need a day where the world can take care of itself
This isn't what I wanted how I thought my life would turn out
And I wonder if it's like this from here on out
"Not Done Yet" - Superchick

No one said being a grown up was this hard, but now I understand when people say "if it's not one thing, it's something else". It really is. Being a recent grad in a recession has something to do with it as well, because we're really just trying to survive. Each gas tank fill up, each electric bill, each trip to the grocery store is full of one question - can I afford this?

And I don't want my graduating class to be accused of being spendthrifts, lazy, or anything like that. I've cut back bar nights, virtually eliminated shopping for non-necessities, and we (gasp!) don't have cable. (Internet is now a luxury item. Ridiculous.)

I subscribe to blogs about saving money, I write down tips about how to save everywhere I go. Yet, to me (and I'm obsessed with savings, obsessed with rainy day accounts), I'm barely staying afloat.

It's scary. Did I grow up too fast?

The economy and pick-up lines

Graduating during a economic decline, recession, rainy day (whatever you want to call it) is hard. Employers aren't hiring, gas prices are skyrocketing, food is expensive, and I've even had to cut back on my weekend bar-hopping (jeez!)

I recently invested in a Vespa to get to and from work and save me from spending a fortune on fueling my Ford Escape. Since I've gotten it, I've been the recipient of more than my fair share of pick-up lines, catcalls, and kissing noises from passing car windows. I'm wearing a helmet and sunglasses. It's not attractive.

Anyway! The majority of the pick-up lines haven't been at me. They've been at my cute purple Vespa, which averages around 65 MPG. Yesterday, while I was stopped at a red light, a guy walking by yelled out, "what an efficient little thing!" (Now, if he had said that directed at me, I probably would have decked him, but the Vespa can't fight back).

In the era of a declining economy, my scooter's fuel efficiency is more attractive than I am. Ouch.

Caught in a post-college limbo

I was talking to a friend from college today (I sound so old, even though it was only 2 months ago that I graduated) and I told him that I recently came to the realization that he and I were almost the only people I knew who had graduated and immediately gotten a job. This isn't for our other friends' lack of ambition or qualifications. In fact, we often referred to our group as "overachievers" and often joked that if we ever got in trouble the headline would read "Student Leaders Arrested." (What we would get arrested for, I have no idea)

So what happened?

Some are traveling. Some are going to grad school. And some just can't seem to catch a break. I got the only job I interviewed for, and thank goodness for that. On the blog "The Consumerist", an article about health care after college inflamed tensions between the employed and the...wishing to be employed. For example:

If you major in something besides Underwater Basket Weaving, you ought to be able to find a job with health benefits. And here's another novel idea, search for jobs and interviews BEFORE you actually graduate.

Versus

Novel approach? Isn't that why the vast majority of college graduates spent at least four years of their lives at the university working their asses off, eating ramen noodles, and going up to their eyeballs in hock? Do you think HR managers just line up at graduates' front doors with job offers? News flash - it's not 1998 anymore.

I know people who have applied for over 150 jobs. My boyfriend applies for several a day. Most people I know haven't even gotten called back for an interview.

Now I know it's the economy, it's our entry-level needs, it's... whatever.

You know what it is? It's just depressing.