It's that time of year again: That fun-filled season of receipts and record keeping that allows us to get our own money back from the government. It's time to see if having chronic kidney disease pays, right?
Such is life.
But there is good news, on the medical financial front: Costs are down all the way around.
Last year, medications cost us a total of $3416. This year, that's up a bit to $3509. That rise is uglier than it looks because LAST year we paid two $300 copayments for Botox.
Last year's doctor/hospital total was $7302. This year we're down to $5893 (plus $463 for glasses, which I somehow think we failed to get for anybody last year).
Parking went down from $157 to $112, and medical mileage from 3,040 to 2,111, which gives us $401 mileage expense.
That makes the grand total $7415, about $618/month, almost $400 less/month than last year.
That being said, there were still more than a couple of times when I couldn't pay the bills in front of me with the money in front of me, and had to work out payment schedules (for a period of 4 months, I had three different hospitals on autopay), but at no time was I behind on anything, and all of the bills were paid by the end of the year.
More interesting, from a My-Kid-Has-A-Chronic-Disease perspective, Babygirl is no longer the person whose bills are the highest. She is only on a handful of prescription medications, and hers are all generics. Hubby is the worst on the prescription costs, with me a close second. I'm the only one of us who was hospitalized in 2017, although Hubby's pain management bills were nearly as high as that little bill. I had some MASSIVE dental bills last year. Having all of Babygirl's blood work done HERE instead of in Philadelphia has saved us literally thousands of dollars. Best of all, she's likely to qualify for Medicaid this year, taking almost all of her medical costs off the table entirely.
We won't make the medical deductable this year. We'd have to have a taxable income under $74,100 to deduct even $50 of it, and I do make more than that (we have made the medical deduction cutoff three different times, so it's worth the trouble of combing through every single credit card record, bank statement and receipt LOL), so we are very blessed this year all the way around.
DeeDee
Sunday, March 25, 2018
Sunday, March 18, 2018
Nine Hundred Dollar Headache...
Sometime earlier this year I had a week of migraines. Not as bad as a few years ago, but a definite escalation of symptoms over normal. I did my best to get them knocked down, but when I developed an aura within an hour of taking a migraine rescue medication, I tossed in the towel and went to the ED. Endless Artificial Energy....
The final bills are all in.
The total cost for a roughly 5 hour stay (2 of which I passed in the waiting area) with no lab work or x-rays of any kind was just under $2000. My portion? Just under $900.
If I had known that the day I had the headache would I have made a different choice about where I got my care? Likely not. I couldn't keep fluids down very well, couldn't keep my eyes open if the lights were on, and I needed to get it under control before it did brain damage. Yeah, I needed to be there. And the bottom line for us is that if I don't make the deductible, someone else will, like Babygirl, yesterday.
But if I didn't have a bank account with a cushion set aside to meet that deductible? If I knew that I'd have to choose between needed monthly medications, or groceries, and that ED bill? I'd likely have tried to tough it out somehow.
We are blessed enough to know that we will be okay. We've been through some miserable times and learned that you can't plan ahead for everything, but we DO plan ahead, and the reall blessing is that we CAN.
I see people every single day who can't - who make such low wages that the idea of having $100 socked away for an emergency is beyond imagination, let alone $1000 or more. I just wrote checks for that emergeny bill, for about $400 for Babygirl's last visit to Philly, and another $900 for dental bills. Generally speaking, I don't think healthcare should be a luxury.
DeeDee
The final bills are all in.
The total cost for a roughly 5 hour stay (2 of which I passed in the waiting area) with no lab work or x-rays of any kind was just under $2000. My portion? Just under $900.
If I had known that the day I had the headache would I have made a different choice about where I got my care? Likely not. I couldn't keep fluids down very well, couldn't keep my eyes open if the lights were on, and I needed to get it under control before it did brain damage. Yeah, I needed to be there. And the bottom line for us is that if I don't make the deductible, someone else will, like Babygirl, yesterday.
But if I didn't have a bank account with a cushion set aside to meet that deductible? If I knew that I'd have to choose between needed monthly medications, or groceries, and that ED bill? I'd likely have tried to tough it out somehow.
We are blessed enough to know that we will be okay. We've been through some miserable times and learned that you can't plan ahead for everything, but we DO plan ahead, and the reall blessing is that we CAN.
I see people every single day who can't - who make such low wages that the idea of having $100 socked away for an emergency is beyond imagination, let alone $1000 or more. I just wrote checks for that emergeny bill, for about $400 for Babygirl's last visit to Philly, and another $900 for dental bills. Generally speaking, I don't think healthcare should be a luxury.
DeeDee
St. Pat's in the ER......
Since my mom died a little over 2 years ago I haven't had to hang out with anybody in the ER (except me: The last THREE ER visits for the family have been me. No - wait - I think Curlygirl had one... it's all a blur LOL). Generally speaking, though, I haven't been in an emergency room wondering if I'm going to need to run home and pack a suitcase in preparation for a 4 -hour ambulance ride.
But last week Squeaker turned 6, and invited a dozen of his closest little germ-vector cousins to come over and tear his house apart to celebrate. It was a 3-hour madhouse of screaming kids, jabbering moms and dads, and cake. Since then, everyone in the house has come down with something: Squeaks had a high fever and a bellyache for a few days, I've had a cold, Curlygirl is achy and incredibly weak.
Yesterday Babygirl spiked a fever of 103, took some aspirin and it went away. She told me about it this morning. I reminded her that fevers are important, and she needs to tell me, but she looked quite well, so we worked the concession stand for the basketball games at church, did grocery shopping and ran errands, and she was fine.
At 8:30 she sent me at text (it's our version of an intercom - her bedroom is on the third floor - don't judge me!) letting me know that she had a temp of 101.2 and she needed some medicine. She had taken some aspirin about an hour earlier when she had some bad chills but wasn't really feeling better. I preregistered for the ER with In Quicker ("fever/kidney transplant/safer to wait at home) and got a call back from a nurse within 5 minutes: Don't wait. Come in now. On the way in she started coughing hard enough to gag. Her temp was 103.3 by the time we arrived, and her heart was racing.
By 9:30 she was roomed and tests were in progress, and by midnight we were given a diagnosis of presumed influenza. We're waiting for the second liter of fluid to finish running in, and then we're out. The doctor was kind enough to push some meds to help with the migtraine du jour as well.
It's good to know that we don't need to leave town. It's good to know that she can safely be considered to have a viral illness and sent home. It's wonderful to know she has enough white blood cells to fight this off.
But. Squeaker had fevers this high for three or four days, and I told Curlygirl to keep him home because it was so clearly viral. We still can't take that chance with Babygirl. And we never will be able to.
DeeDee
But last week Squeaker turned 6, and invited a dozen of his closest little germ-vector cousins to come over and tear his house apart to celebrate. It was a 3-hour madhouse of screaming kids, jabbering moms and dads, and cake. Since then, everyone in the house has come down with something: Squeaks had a high fever and a bellyache for a few days, I've had a cold, Curlygirl is achy and incredibly weak.
Yesterday Babygirl spiked a fever of 103, took some aspirin and it went away. She told me about it this morning. I reminded her that fevers are important, and she needs to tell me, but she looked quite well, so we worked the concession stand for the basketball games at church, did grocery shopping and ran errands, and she was fine.
At 8:30 she sent me at text (it's our version of an intercom - her bedroom is on the third floor - don't judge me!) letting me know that she had a temp of 101.2 and she needed some medicine. She had taken some aspirin about an hour earlier when she had some bad chills but wasn't really feeling better. I preregistered for the ER with In Quicker ("fever/kidney transplant/safer to wait at home) and got a call back from a nurse within 5 minutes: Don't wait. Come in now. On the way in she started coughing hard enough to gag. Her temp was 103.3 by the time we arrived, and her heart was racing.
By 9:30 she was roomed and tests were in progress, and by midnight we were given a diagnosis of presumed influenza. We're waiting for the second liter of fluid to finish running in, and then we're out. The doctor was kind enough to push some meds to help with the migtraine du jour as well.
It's good to know that we don't need to leave town. It's good to know that she can safely be considered to have a viral illness and sent home. It's wonderful to know she has enough white blood cells to fight this off.
But. Squeaker had fevers this high for three or four days, and I told Curlygirl to keep him home because it was so clearly viral. We still can't take that chance with Babygirl. And we never will be able to.
DeeDee
Thursday, March 8, 2018
What Would It Be Like.....
When Babygirl turned 18 in September, I put in an application for her for Social Security Income. She qualified at age 11, when she was first diagnosed with kidney failure, but did NOT get it because of my income: It's 'needs based.' But at this point she is still struggling to finish high school, has headaches at least four days a week, has an immune system too weak for her to work with the public and handle money, and she can't see well enough to get a driver's lisence, so....what kind of work can she do?
The majority of people under the age of 50 who apply for Social Security are denied, at least initially. Babygirl qualified on the first try.
So this morning we went to the credit union to set up an account for her so Social Security can direct deposit her checks. During the process we decided she needs a checking account so she can take over paying her own medical bills, and added my name to her accounts in case she gets too sick to manage her money at some point.
On the way out of the bank, she asked, "I wonder what it would be like to be healthy? I mean, it probably would be less expensive...."
Oh. My. Freaking. God.
Yeah, it would be different. We'd be setting up an account so you could deposit money from your first job. I'd never even consider putting my name on it. We'd be going out for breakfast instead of trying to figure out why the local Social Security office doesn't have ANY parking within a quarter mile of the place and, good God Almighty, child! "Less expensive"????
College would be expensive. A new CAR would be expensive. An apartment of your very own would be expensive. I'd happily bankrupt myself to pay for ALL of it if it meant you never, EVER had to wonder what good health felt like.
DeeDee
The majority of people under the age of 50 who apply for Social Security are denied, at least initially. Babygirl qualified on the first try.
So this morning we went to the credit union to set up an account for her so Social Security can direct deposit her checks. During the process we decided she needs a checking account so she can take over paying her own medical bills, and added my name to her accounts in case she gets too sick to manage her money at some point.
On the way out of the bank, she asked, "I wonder what it would be like to be healthy? I mean, it probably would be less expensive...."
Oh. My. Freaking. God.
Yeah, it would be different. We'd be setting up an account so you could deposit money from your first job. I'd never even consider putting my name on it. We'd be going out for breakfast instead of trying to figure out why the local Social Security office doesn't have ANY parking within a quarter mile of the place and, good God Almighty, child! "Less expensive"????
College would be expensive. A new CAR would be expensive. An apartment of your very own would be expensive. I'd happily bankrupt myself to pay for ALL of it if it meant you never, EVER had to wonder what good health felt like.
DeeDee
Sunday, March 4, 2018
It Was An Accident, Honest.....
My insurance company sent me a form to fill out the other day. Clearly getting an MRI of one's shoulder followed by a series of physical therapy makes them wonder...
"Recent claims indicate that you may have suffered an injury. Was this due to an accident?"
In other words, should I be billing my auto, homeowners or workman's compensation insurance instead of them?
"If so, are you planning on suing anyone?"
It's tempting to fill out the form with the entire story, just so they can have something to put on the Insurance Adjuster's Wall of Fame, or to giggle over at the office Christmas party.....
"Well.....
"Now that you mention it, it WAS due to an accident. You see, I was making a snowman with the church youth group, and my drill bit snapped in half! That made the drill jump, and the broken drill bit drilled right through my thumb joint. Lucky the bit was broken or it would have drilled me to the table!
"I had a couple of rounds if IV antibiotics and a tetanus shot, but when your wrist is immobilized and you have only your fingertips to work with, you can really jack up your shoulder trying to pull your pants up!"
Yeah. I don't think I'll be suing anybody over that.
Besides, our insurance agent assures us that we made the Wall of Fame when our pool caught fire.
DeeDee
"Recent claims indicate that you may have suffered an injury. Was this due to an accident?"
In other words, should I be billing my auto, homeowners or workman's compensation insurance instead of them?
"If so, are you planning on suing anyone?"
It's tempting to fill out the form with the entire story, just so they can have something to put on the Insurance Adjuster's Wall of Fame, or to giggle over at the office Christmas party.....
"Well.....
"Now that you mention it, it WAS due to an accident. You see, I was making a snowman with the church youth group, and my drill bit snapped in half! That made the drill jump, and the broken drill bit drilled right through my thumb joint. Lucky the bit was broken or it would have drilled me to the table!
"I had a couple of rounds if IV antibiotics and a tetanus shot, but when your wrist is immobilized and you have only your fingertips to work with, you can really jack up your shoulder trying to pull your pants up!"
Yeah. I don't think I'll be suing anybody over that.
Besides, our insurance agent assures us that we made the Wall of Fame when our pool caught fire.
DeeDee
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