Reply #139: We don't have cable, either...

[benEzra]

and I own an ancient hand-me-down Motorola cell phone with prepaid minutes, because that's about all I can fucking afford with my son's medical issues. We only got broadband about three months ago, and only because our local dialup provider had gotten so bad that we were connecting at 9600 bps, and we NEED the internet (we have special-needs kid).

And yes, I went without a primary-care physician for years (even though we have insurance), until my son finally qualified for CAP Medicaid late last year and freed up some money in the budget. I even got turned away from urgent care once when I had pneumonia (even though I had insurance), because they demanded that I pay for the doctor's visit AND the X-rays up front, cash or check, before they'd see me, and insurance could reimburse me later. I didn't have the money, so I went home and toughed it out. Good thing I am generally healthy...