I heard this today and loved it:
"Stop trying to keep up with the Joneses because the Joneses are broke!"
Love it.
Also, Husband stayed with some friends in Dallas this weekend after the big UT/OU rivalry game (HOOK "EM HOOOOOOORNS!!!!). The wife was put on bed rest during the second month of her pregnancy and will probably continue to do so until the baby is delivered (she is 12 weeks pregnant now). She worked as a sales rep for a pharmaceutical company and immediately after she told her superiors of her diagnosis, they fired her. I can understand that being on bed rest prohibits her from being able to perform the duties of her job, and I understand that she is of no use to them if she cannot perform her job, but dang that's cold. Now she is on an expensive Cobra plan that will run out after so many months (6 months? A year?) with no hope of joining her husband's health plan due to "pre-existing conditions" or something along those lines.
I'm curious--could she have filed for disability immediately after receiving her diagnosis in order to prevent being fired? Does anyone know? I heard of a pregnant co-worker doing that once and I always wondered if it was effective.
In other news, I think that Little Husband dropped over the weekend. I had some weird symptoms that I won't get into 'cause my Dad reads this blog and he probably doesn't want to hear about "icky pregnancy stuff" (even though he fathered six children) (all by my mother, lest there be any confusion). The most compelling piece of evidence that I have to support my "baby drop theory" is that he is no longer up under my ribs, I can breath more easily, my acid reflux is gone (no more squished stomach) and whereas I used to feel his kicks at the top of my belly, I now feel them in the middle of my belly. There you have it.
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9 comments:
Hmmm... Wow, having to be on bedrest at 12 weeks seems awful. Poor girl, I hope that things improve.
Regarding health insurance, she might have already checked into this but it's worth a shot if she hasn't. Same thing happened to a friend of mine when she became pregnant and lost her job. She couldn't get on her husband's health insurance b/c of the whole pre-existing condition something or other. Between being pregnant and losing a significant amount of their income, she was able to get onto Medicaid, which was free and covered quite a bit of the pregnancy costs.... just a thought in case it hasn't crossed her mind yet.
Oh man. That's awful. I can understand that they had to fire her. But, to have to use cobra is tough. When I was laid off I had to pay something like $900 a month just for me. She might want to contact these guys:
The Women's Bureau
U.S. Department of Labor
Washington, DC 20210
1-800-827-5335 TDD: 1-800-326-2577
I don't know if all Cobra plans are the same, but mine was for 18 months.
That's insane that she's only a few weeks pregnant and already on bed rest. I knew a girl a few years ago that at 20 got pregnant and had to be put on bed rest and she was fully self supporting. Luckily, her doctor said it was safe for her to work half the day at least. But to be fired for being put on bed rest? Isn't there a better alternative? Laid-off? Let go? Something other than fired???
When I quit the preschool, I was allowed to sign up for COBRA for three months, but it sounds like it varies from place to place....
Let me just keep commenting here.
I just realized your quesiton was more of a hypothetical one.
I feel really sorry for your friend. Cobra was not very good for me. I can't imagine having it while being pregnant!
Well it must be a relief for you to have baby drop so you can breathe. before you know it baby husband will be here. Can't wait to get that call.
I was drinking my coffee (and this is when I do most of my deep thinking)I was wondering about your friend on bedrest. Would the company she was working for fired her if she had cancer and had to go through chemo. I don't know what her company offered (long term disability, short term, FMLA, etc). It just blows me away when someone is fired b/c of her circumstances with pregnancy.
It makes me grateful for my benefits. I have to pay a small amount for Long Term Disability b/c its a small price to pay if something happens and I get to keep my job.
I feel for your friend. As my mother says "Everything always works out some how, some way. It may not be the easy path but it does work out."
I pray things work out for your friend.
Thanks, Supermonkey. That's incredibly sweet of you to pray for my friend. It's also incredibly sweet of the rest of you to offer such great advice and resources. I will be sure to pass them along to her. I had no idea about Medicaid and The Women's Bureau!
is there some kind of law about discriminating against someone who gets pregnant? isn't that why time off for pregnancy and holding the woman's job until she returns was instated?
actually, never mind, i just googled it and seems like they can fire her if they would do the same to someone else who couldn't do their job (ie - they broke their leg or had a heart attack). here's the link:
http://www.lectlaw.com/files/emp31.htm
either way, bed rest AND getting fired AND having to pay for Cobra seems like a bit much to have to bear. i really feel for your friend.
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