$25 Co-Pays Destroying The Middle Class

Was reading this article today. Here's an excerpt (emphasis mine):

One family feeling the pinch is the Andrew Miller family in Charleston, S.C. With a combined income of just less than $100,000 a year, Miller and his wife say they work harder than ever but are no better off than five years ago. They keep a tight rein on spending, but tiny raises that don't match inflation and escalating health costs are leaving them feeling like they are treading water.

"The (medical) co-pays have jumped to $25 for each visit," said Miller, who has two daughters, ages 10 and 8. "Luckily, we have pretty healthy kids. But our premiums are also going up. We're just getting squeezed here."

Holy Crap! They want to claim that $100,000 is middle class (earlier in the article "middle class" was defined as anyone between $18,000 and $88,000 which is still a wonked out figure), but worse they want to complain that their medical co-pay is $25..... oh, please cry me a river over your $25 co-pay! =sigh= This article is such a great example of how "middle class" is completely out of touch with realistic spending habits, and that pollsters and ridiculous self declared pundits like Lou Dobbs have no idea who or what they are supposedly defending.

Can't afford an SUV? Go into debt and blame the government. Can't afford the house payments on a property that was far beyond your price range to begin with? Blame the government. Have to pay a $25 co-pay for, say, a $37,000 pregnancy? Blame the government. I mean, really, that $25 is definitely what is sending you under. Not the eating out all the time, the $200 jeans, the gas guzzling SUV or $1600 dogs that ride around in purses wearing namebrand sweaters, or even $3000 a month daycare bills. Cause none of those are choices. The government made them do it.