More GOOT testimony

Last night, I slowly woke up realizing that a small body was behind me, playing with my hair. I had only been asleep about an hour, so I was deeply into it. After a few minutes, she whispered, "Mom, my ear hurts.  Will you put some garlic medicine in it?" I didn't immediately get up, so she asked again. I told her I would have to warm it up, so it would take a little while. I trudged into the kitchen to warm it in a bowl of warm water, hoping again that it would work. When I came back to my bed, I think she was already back to sleep. I dropped a few drops into her ear & brushed some on her feet. This woke her up. She didn't care for the feeling of the oil dripping down into her ear (it really is unpleasant to drop liquid into your ear), so she started shouting, "It tickles & hurts! Get it out! My ear hurts!!!!!" This went on for awhile, when I finally got a rag & started massaging her ear to help the oil get all the way in. We both went back to sleep, then I woke up about an hour later. I rolled over, & she woke up again. She started crying out, over & over, "My ear hurts, my ear hurts!!!" I tried to calm her down but finally got up to get her some tylenol (which she didn't want to take, lol) just to take the edge off. She finally took it & quieted down after about 10 minutes. This was now 3:30 a.m., & I was fairly positive that we were going to be making a visit to the Dr. today. She woke up today about 9:30, happy as can be. :) She said her ear hurts when she burps, but other than that she has been fine all day! And we didn't have to go to the Dr.! :)

Thinking Outside the Box...

Are you tired of paying insurance companies (I'm talking health, here) a lot of $$$ each month for premiums, for what seems like very little coverage until you pay off your deductible? I certainly was. Erik has his insurance paid for by his work, so his premiums are at least covered. I'm not sure what his deductible is, but last summer he went to the ER with kidney stones & WITH insurance it cost us about $2400. out-of-pocket. The kids & I have been on a catastrophic plan: we receive a physical for 'free' every year, have an individual deductible of $7,000 & a family deductible of $10,000. We chose that plan because most of the things we end up sick with are things we don't actually need medical care to treat -- colds, flu, ear infections. So this was just to cover us in case something really bad came along...which we pray never does. But even on this catastrophic plan, our premiums were going up 40% last year (!!!), so we were going to be paying about $650./month for 1 Dr. visit per year (figure an annual physical costs about $100 - $150 out of pocket, times 4 of us, 1 month's premium would pretty much cover it....). I was pretty fed up (it's one thing when your employer is covering these costs, it's another when they come out of your own pocket...). So we started looking around, asking other people what they did (it's a rare thing to find an employer who pays for the whole family's premiums), & thinking a little more outside the box. We bought a Vitamix so that we could make smoothies & increase our fruit/veggie/superfood intake. We started looking at alternatives to health insurance. This is what we found:

We switched to what is called a 'health sharing plan.' It is through a faith-based organization called Samaritan Ministries ( http://samaritanministries.org ). It is based on a Bible verse in Galatians: “Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.”  This is how it works: we pay a monthly 'premium' of $370 for all FIVE of us. But we don't pay it to Samaritan. We pay it to other Samaritan members who have submitted a 'need' request, thereby reimbursing them for medical expenses they have paid out-of-pocket.

Here's how it has worked for us: In December, I woke up with a massive ear infection (on a Sunday, of course, December 23rd). I went to Urgent Care. As a cash patient they actually gave me a discount, so my office visit cost $85.  I ended up getting a bill for a bit more, as the Dr. plucked some wax out of my ear as well, so I was billed separately for that. I also picked up an antibiotic, & was referred to an Ear-Nose-Throat Dr. All of these bills relating to my ear were considered 1 incident. Each member is responsible for the first $300 of each incident, but can be reimbursed for the rest. So I saved all my receipts, called Samaritan for a need request form, filled it out, & sent it back in. Then members sent ME their 'premium' to reimburse me for my expenses. Pretty cool, huh?

Another case: When we were in California & Kaarin had her abscess (you can read about that in another post), we had to pay for all of the Dr. visits, ER, etc. But amazing things happened: the Drs. all gave us cash patient discounts. The ER knocked $1400 off of our bill. I called to pay one bill (lab work) for $197. & was told the balance was $0. AND, while each member is responsible for the first $300, if you get reductions in your bills for being a cash patient, Samaritan counts that toward your $300 -- so in this case, I will be reimbursed for the FULL amount we paid out of pocket toward her care!!!!

If Erik had had Samaritan (you can have it in addition to insurance, they will count insurance payments toward you $300 portion) when he went to the ER, we would have paid at most $300, not $2400. Ouch.

Now, there are a few drawbacks, as with anything: it does not cover dental (however, dental premiums on most insurance plans are MUCH cheaper). If you have a lot of 'single' incidents (Dr. visits not relating, or for different people), the $300 piece can add up quickly. You have to be much more meticulous about your health care statements (shouldn't we be, anyway?), as you have to provide more than just a receipt for what you paid. :) Some medications are not covered. There is a $$ amount cap. You can't be covered for things that are pre-existing when you sign up until you are free & clear for 1 yr. (which rules out all birth defects & related costs, or other chronic illnesses). So if Erik had had another bout with kidney stones, his bills would not have been covered unless it had been a year. They do offer for those things to be submitted as a 'special prayer need' & people can send you a bit extra if they feel like it, so you could still be reimbursed. I am submitting Erik's bills from his kidney stones even though he wasn't on the plan yet as a special prayer need.  But, overall, it has caused us to be much more thoughtful in what we go to the Dr. for, we have experimented with home remedies (read the posts on GOOT), & we have worked hard to improve our health so that we just get sick less often. Obviously, some things can't be avoided -- Kaarin's abscess is one example. But instead of relying on medicine & Drs. to provide us with HEALTH, we are doing everything we can to be in control of our health (I will post more on this later!).

Please feel free to ask me any questions about this. I am happy to answer!

Behold, the power of GOOT....

I have posted about this before, but I think it's worth posting about again. I often wonder as I do it if the previous time was a fluke, & if I will actually end up taking a child to the Dr.

We were out running a few errands on Thursday, & Kaarin started complaining that she was cold. We were in air-conditioning, & it was starting to feel a little chilly. By the time we got home, though, & she was still complaining, I investigated a little further. She was BURNING up. She went in & took a nap, & after that I took her temperature: 103.7. Pretty high. When she went to bed at around 9:00, I put some goot on her feet & a little on one lymph area (under her left ear). She woke up around midnight & had to go to the bathroom, so we snuggled a little bit before I took her back to bed. And guess what? Her fever was GONE. Her body was no longer hot, she wasn't complaining of being cold, she was so much better. I checked her temperature the next morning, & it was normal & she has been fine ever since. Yay!!

Kellen is 7!!

Kellen turned 7 last week! We had a really fun day: we went to Round Table for lunch with Daddy, to the library, to the pet store (we needed cat food, but they were swooning over the new kitties!), to Red Robin for dinner, & then to see Despicable Me 2 (HILARIOUS!!). After that we had cupcakes & presents. This boy did not go to sleep until after midnight. Yikes!!

Birthday dinner at Red Robin

7 candles!

Presents!

New legos!

New clothes!

More new legos!

For Kellen's party this year, he decided he only wanted to invite 4 friends: so he did. We set up a dad/son baseball game at a little park in Lakewood. It was super-hot that day, but I think everyone had a super-fun time! I snuck over to the park to take some pictures of them in action. :) Then everyone came back to our house for dinner & cake. What a fun day!!

The baseball game - dads/grandpas fielded, kids hit

My lefty

Running after he hit it

Getting tagged, haha

Dinner time!

Cake time!

Presents!

4th of July!

We went back to Anderson Island for the 4th of July! The weather was decent, & we had a fun day. After that we went over to some friends' house for food & fireworks. We had a very late night, but LOTS of fun!!!

I love this picture of Kellen. I just zoomed in on him from across the street, I didn't think it would actually turn out well! Anderson Island

Sometimes I have 4 kids. ;) haha

Kaarin giving a nice love.

Hugs always end in a tackle. :)

First sparkler!

First sparkler!

Father's Day

For Father's Day every year I have the kids draw a picture of a place they want to take Daddy. :) Then they get to treat him for a date!

Annika picked Limeberry, a frozen yogurt place in Lakewood. :)

Kellen chose a candy store. :)

This is Kellen's picture close-up. Note the prices on the candy. :)

Kaarin chose to go to Black Bear, another frozen yogurt place.

Kaarin is doing so well with her writing!

Kaarin & Daddy at Black Bear!

Annika & Daddy at Limeberry!

(Kellen is going tomorrow, watch for an update!)

New Kitties!

The kids & I visit Petco every so often -- it's kind of a fun indoor 'zoo.' :) They have pretty cool lizards, snakes,  birds, & even a tarantula!! They also have kitties...we went a couple of weeks ago & they had 3 kitties. The kids played with them through the cage, & the nice Petco people let us even hold & pet them! They were so sweet. We couldn't stop thinking about them...so we went back the next day. 1 cat was already gone! We thought we had better act fast or the others would be gone too, so we adopted them! :) They came from the Humane Society, officially. They are so sweet & fun!

This is the picture drew of them after our first visit - they were in cages just like this.

Mya is 2 yrs. old -- she has been so relaxed from the start!

Missy is 8 months old -- she's pretty mellow, too

She tolerates a lot. :)

After a couple of days of hissing at each other, they came around. :)

The kids love it that they sleep on their bed.

A very interesting slug...

She's so sweet!

GRADUATION!

Kaarin finished the 3 year old class with Ms. Karen & Ms. Karen!

Such a good smile!

She loved her. <3 td="">

And her. :)

Annika finished up pre-k with Ms. Jessica & Ms. Mary!

Her carpool buddy Ethan.

Annika with her teachers

Kellen's turn!! (a little blurry)

Kellen & his best friend

Silly boys...

Their wonderful teacher!