March 28, 2010
March 23, 2010
I've had a really crummy attitude about health care lately. Not because of the health care legislation--I'm ashamed to admit that I don't know too much about it. No, my attitude has stemmed from my ER visit in January. The visit itself was fine (aside from the nurse who couldn't get the IV in and had to try repeatedly ... that part wasn't pleasant!), or at least as fine as an ER visit can be. I really didn't want to go in the first place because I knew it would cost me a lot of money ... I just didn't have any idea how much!
Three weeks after my visit, I got notification from my insurance company that they weren't covering any of the bill--which totaled nearly $4000! My first reaction was anger--what good was my insurance if it wasn't going to help me out? My next reaction was panic--how would I pay for everything? My medical issue didn't end with the ER visit--I still had to see my doctor a couple times and undergo more tests. The bills kept coming--a $90 doctor visit here, a $400 hospital bill there. Most bills were partially covered by insurance, but at the beginning of March, it looked like I'd still have to pay between $5500 and $6000. I know that many people are struggling to pay bills so much higher than mine, but to me, these bills looked nearly insurmountable.
Early in January, before I knew what was wrong with me and that it was, at least for now, manageable by diet and exercise, I came across these verses in my daily Bible reading:
Through it all, God took care of me--sometimes in large ways, and other times in small ways. One person God used to bless me was Gary. I've mentioned him in the past--he runs Gary's Body Shop here in town. My driver's window broke in January (the pic to the left is me driving home from Grand Island right after it broke. Blendy gave me her hood to wear with my coat because I was so cold!), and when my dad took my car in to Gary's, Gary said he thought the broken part was still under warranty from when he fixed it last summer. It was, and on top of that, he refused payment for labor, saying that when you go to Gary's, you expect to have the job done right!
Then there was the speech judging job where I got paid double for one round because it was longer than a normal round, plus they gave me mileage even though I carpooled with another judge!
And then there's Tom. He's the business manager where I work. About two weeks ago, he got on the phone with the insurance company (I get my health insurance through my employer). I was so grateful that he offered to call because I wouldn't have had a clue what to say! He put the lady on speaker phone, and pretty much everything either of them said was Greek to me! I learned that I definitely didn't follow procedure when I went to the ER without calling the insurance company first, though I didn't realize at the time that I was supposed to do that. (Perhaps I should have read the massive booklet I got when I first signed up for the insurance five years ago?) The good news is that had I called, they would have sent me to the hospital I went to, and they agreed to review the charges. Anyway, long story short, today I learned that insurance would cover over half of the ER charges!
I still have a large bill to pay. I'll have to be careful about my spending. I won't be using my tax refund to buy a Wii like I'd been planning for the last six months. But I also won't be in financial trouble. I don't deserve this. I don't know why God has chosen to work out my finances. But I am grateful!
I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me. Psalm 13:6
Three weeks after my visit, I got notification from my insurance company that they weren't covering any of the bill--which totaled nearly $4000! My first reaction was anger--what good was my insurance if it wasn't going to help me out? My next reaction was panic--how would I pay for everything? My medical issue didn't end with the ER visit--I still had to see my doctor a couple times and undergo more tests. The bills kept coming--a $90 doctor visit here, a $400 hospital bill there. Most bills were partially covered by insurance, but at the beginning of March, it looked like I'd still have to pay between $5500 and $6000. I know that many people are struggling to pay bills so much higher than mine, but to me, these bills looked nearly insurmountable.
Early in January, before I knew what was wrong with me and that it was, at least for now, manageable by diet and exercise, I came across these verses in my daily Bible reading:
Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Matthew 6:25-34When the bills began rolling in, I clung to those verses, as well as this one: And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 Sometimes, I didn't do a very good job of trusting, but it seemed like every time I reached full freak-out mode, one of those verses would pop back into my head.
Then there was the speech judging job where I got paid double for one round because it was longer than a normal round, plus they gave me mileage even though I carpooled with another judge!
And then there's Tom. He's the business manager where I work. About two weeks ago, he got on the phone with the insurance company (I get my health insurance through my employer). I was so grateful that he offered to call because I wouldn't have had a clue what to say! He put the lady on speaker phone, and pretty much everything either of them said was Greek to me! I learned that I definitely didn't follow procedure when I went to the ER without calling the insurance company first, though I didn't realize at the time that I was supposed to do that. (Perhaps I should have read the massive booklet I got when I first signed up for the insurance five years ago?) The good news is that had I called, they would have sent me to the hospital I went to, and they agreed to review the charges. Anyway, long story short, today I learned that insurance would cover over half of the ER charges!
I still have a large bill to pay. I'll have to be careful about my spending. I won't be using my tax refund to buy a Wii like I'd been planning for the last six months. But I also won't be in financial trouble. I don't deserve this. I don't know why God has chosen to work out my finances. But I am grateful!
I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me. Psalm 13:6
March 5, 2010
I went to Walmart last night to pick up a few things ... which turned into a cart full! As I was walking down the dairy aisle, I glanced down at my cart and realized that anyone who looked at my shopping cart--without seeing me--would be able to ascertain that the cart's owner was a single woman on a diet! The items in my cart:
I decided you can surmise a lot about a person based on his or her shopping cart. Not only does mine say I'm single, but it also says I neglect one or two of the major food groups and I don't cook a lot.
So, what does your shopping cart say about you?
- nail polish
- feminine products
- concealer & foundation
- diet soda
- skim milk
- yogurt
- a greeting card
- baking soda
- pretzels
- powdered sugar
- hair dye
- Peeps
I decided you can surmise a lot about a person based on his or her shopping cart. Not only does mine say I'm single, but it also says I neglect one or two of the major food groups and I don't cook a lot.
So, what does your shopping cart say about you?
I never win anything. Maybe that's not technically true, but the last thing I remember winning was a McGee & Me video from our local Christian radio station when I was in elementary school. Wait, I guess I did win a $5 Pampered Chef gift certificate at the Kansas State Fair a few years ago, but $5 doesn't go very far when you're talking Pampered Chef, and I never got around to redeeming it.
This afternoon, I received an email from an employee at WGBH, the Boston PBS affiliate. I won a free copy of the new Masterpiece Classic production of Emma!
I watched Emma when it aired in January, and I desperately wanted to buy it, but I've been saving my money to pay off those pesky medical bills. I added it to my Amazon wish list in hopes that my mom would buy it for my birthday ... which isn't until August. Earlier, I was watching the 1996 Gwyneth Paltrow version for my movie rewatch project, and I found myself wishing I could follow it up with the Masterpiece version, which I believe is far superior. And now I can! (Well, I can after I've allowed 3-4 weeks for delivery ... )
Here's the funny thing: I don't even remember entering the drawing! Guess I can't say I never win anything anymore!
This afternoon, I received an email from an employee at WGBH, the Boston PBS affiliate. I won a free copy of the new Masterpiece Classic production of Emma!
I watched Emma when it aired in January, and I desperately wanted to buy it, but I've been saving my money to pay off those pesky medical bills. I added it to my Amazon wish list in hopes that my mom would buy it for my birthday ... which isn't until August. Earlier, I was watching the 1996 Gwyneth Paltrow version for my movie rewatch project, and I found myself wishing I could follow it up with the Masterpiece version, which I believe is far superior. And now I can! (Well, I can after I've allowed 3-4 weeks for delivery ... )
Here's the funny thing: I don't even remember entering the drawing! Guess I can't say I never win anything anymore!
February 23, 2010
I can't remember a time that I didn't love reading. In fact, my mom tells a story about finding me crying as a young child because I didn't know how to read. Once I could read, I hardly ever stopped. As an elementary student, I flew through all the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books I could get my hands on. I read every Baby-sitters Club book the local library had; while I waited for new titles, I also read the Baby-sitters Little Sister books, which were admittedly geared at much younger children. I even got the Baby-sitters Club game for Christmas one year.
In junior high, I started reading Jeanette Oke's books--my first foray into the Christian romance genre. I also read all of the Anne of Green Gables books, and I distinctly remember crying my eyes out on my parents' bed as I read about Anne & Gilbert's son Walter dying in WWI.
In high school, I read a lot of Lori Wick and Robin Jones Gunn, and I read just about every Christian romance I could get my hands on. Admittedly, those were probably not the best books for me to be reading ...
College is when I discovered Karen Kingsbury. She's still my favorite author. Then after college, a friend got me started on Ted Dekker. I could go on and on, but you get the point--I read a lot!
Obviously, I gravitate toward fiction, mainly the Christian variety. So one thing I really appreciate about the book review programs I participate in (booksneeze and Blogging for Books) is that they've caused me to branch out and read some non-fiction! (In fact, two of the best books I've read have come from these programs: Fearless by Max Lucado and Dug Down Deep by Joshua Harris. You can see my reviews here and here.)
However, these programs have caused a new problem--or maybe exacerbated an existing problem. I simply don't have time to read everything I've agreed to read! Oh, I'll finish the books and get the reviews in on time, but at what expense? I simply have a difficult time passing up a free book if it sounds even remotely interesting. Thus, I have two reviews to post yet this week (and I still have to finish reading one of the books) and two to post two weeks from now (and I haven't even opened those books yet). And I'm pretty sure I have another review due the week after that, and it's for a book I haven't received yet!
Perhaps the best question to ask myself right now is this: Why am I blogging instead of reading???
In junior high, I started reading Jeanette Oke's books--my first foray into the Christian romance genre. I also read all of the Anne of Green Gables books, and I distinctly remember crying my eyes out on my parents' bed as I read about Anne & Gilbert's son Walter dying in WWI.
In high school, I read a lot of Lori Wick and Robin Jones Gunn, and I read just about every Christian romance I could get my hands on. Admittedly, those were probably not the best books for me to be reading ...
College is when I discovered Karen Kingsbury. She's still my favorite author. Then after college, a friend got me started on Ted Dekker. I could go on and on, but you get the point--I read a lot!
Obviously, I gravitate toward fiction, mainly the Christian variety. So one thing I really appreciate about the book review programs I participate in (booksneeze and Blogging for Books) is that they've caused me to branch out and read some non-fiction! (In fact, two of the best books I've read have come from these programs: Fearless by Max Lucado and Dug Down Deep by Joshua Harris. You can see my reviews here and here.)
However, these programs have caused a new problem--or maybe exacerbated an existing problem. I simply don't have time to read everything I've agreed to read! Oh, I'll finish the books and get the reviews in on time, but at what expense? I simply have a difficult time passing up a free book if it sounds even remotely interesting. Thus, I have two reviews to post yet this week (and I still have to finish reading one of the books) and two to post two weeks from now (and I haven't even opened those books yet). And I'm pretty sure I have another review due the week after that, and it's for a book I haven't received yet!
Perhaps the best question to ask myself right now is this: Why am I blogging instead of reading???
February 16, 2010
I've been an incredibly lazy blogger recently. The reasons for this are many, but basically I feel I don't have enough of interest to say to create an entire blog post. So, I offer you yet another bulleted list of randomness.
- I saw a commercial the other day illustrating how much food we throw out each year. I think the average was $500-worth. While I'm sure I don't throw that much out, I could certainly identify with the commercial. I can identify with it even more after cleaning out my refrigerator. Spoiled milk? Check. Old lunchmeat? Check. Moldy cheese? Check. Hard-as-a-rock bread? Check.
- In case you hadn't noticed, Lost is back! Tonight is the third installment of the final season. So many questions, so little time for answers!
- My dearly beloved desktop computer, which one of my brother's college friends built for me, exploded the other day. Maybe "exploded" isn't quite right ... I heard two loud pops, smoke shot out of the back, and it died. I'm so glad I decided to buy my laptop last summer! My brother thinks the data on the hard drive should be salvageable ... I sure hope so!
- I love the Olympics! The "inspirational" stories they run between/during competition always make me cry. And the actual competition is so fun to watch! Back in junior high/high school/college I was absolutely obsessed with figure skating. Funny, I'm not even sure I watched it at all during the Torino Olympics. I recognize the names of the American male skaters and one pair of ice dancers, but I don't know much about them. I think I've just found a new favorite skater, though: Takahiko Kozuka of Japan. He skated his short program to Jimi Hendrix, and he was so fun to watch!
- How is it that I went 28 years without realizing how wonderful cayenne pepper is? It's my new favorite spice. Just a little goes a long way, and it flavors without adding fat, which is excellent for my diet. Yum!
- Val and I are contemplating a trip to see Lifehouse and Daughtry in May. Really, Daughtry is the headliner, but Lifehouse is more important to me :-) We could see them in Wichita or Kansas City ... either would require a 4-5 hour car trip, but I've already proven I don't mind traveling to see my favorite artists!
- My next Blogging for Books review is due sometime next week. I have two books to read this time, and I'm about halfway through the first. The problem? It's a sequel, and I didn't read the first book. I was incredibly lost for at least the first 60 pages. I finally decided I didn't need to understand what was happening; I just needed to make it through. And now I think I've sort of figured out what's what ... and I really need to start speed reading!
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