>> Honest question about first story: how come they need $1000/week if they spend on groceries $100/week? (looking at my own paycheck and bank statement): - R

>> Honest question about first story: how come they need $1000/week if they spend on groceries $100/week? (looking at my own paycheck and bank statement): - Rent / Housing - Health insurance premiums - Health insurance deductibles - Health insurance balance bills (what insurance mysteriously doesnt pay) - Health insurance co-pays - Prescription co-pays and balance bills from PBM* - Electric, Gas, Water, Sewer bills - Phone+internet (often locked into 2yr plans so you cant shop around) - (for me and some) Car insurance / gas - (for me and some) Public transport - (for some) student debt payments All this is before any restaurants (a luxury, even for qsr), savings (good luck), travel (not realistic for many), dental /orthodontic (often deferred) For those outside the US or some lucky US states, a PBM is a pharmacy "benefits" manager, which creates many rules for where you can fill your prescription to have it covered by health insurance. Mine (OptumRX) will set higher prices than I could get if I shopped around for medicine. If I choose the lower price, I either pay for it myself (out of pocket, not applying insurance) or they will bill the difference between what I paid and the higher "fair" price they set. There is no winning. Sometimes the PBM price is so high it is better to just pay out of pocket, or even to purchase the meds overseas (which I know people do, esp those closer to Canada.) Also, your doctor has to send the prescription electronically to the pharmacy, which makes it difficult to shop around since you dont actually have the prescription in hand and many doctors wont respond to you once you've left the clinic. Death by a thousand cuts.