Full of Grace

This week I am so grateful that my 3 month old grand nephew came through his surgery with flying colors. He was born in August and it soon became apparent that something was wrong as his head became very misshapen. He was soon diagnosed with Craniosynostosis, a condition where the skull bones fuse together and the brain has nowhere to grow and starts popping out in weird places. As you can imagine, it has been a scary time.


But his surgery went well and his head returned to an almost normal shape after just 24 hours. He will have to wear a helmet for the next six months and may need additional surgeries but for now we are all breathing easier.


In other medical gratefulness -

I received a letter from my former employer stating that once again my medical insurance will be fully paid and in fact, some of my benefits have increased. I have never paid a dime for my health insurance. Ever. One of the best benefits of my job was that after 20 years of service, individual coverage is paid for life.


A letter from my insurance company stating that I used $5,600 in benefits this year. That included one procedure in the hospital, three year long prescriptions, and visits to specialists such as my oncologist, gastroenterologist and eye doctor. My total out-of-pocket cost in co-pays and prescriptions was $344.

I can’t even imagine the stress of people who are held hostage by insurance companies or who are facing large increases to their premiums or don’t even know if they will have insurance in the coming years. My nephew pays over $1200 a month for family coverage! Although I’m sure he’s glad to have it knowing he is facing years of medical intervention just for his son, it is the biggest stressor in their budget. The growing inequities in our society, and in our world, have me deeply concerned for our future.