School has been so nice this week. We have stayed on schedule! I cannot tell you how much I enjoy having all four of my kids at the table with me each morning as we go through the books of the Old Testament, read a Proverb, read a Bible story, go through the days of the the week and months, sing the ABC's, and flashcards, and count up to whatever number we are on...today that was 56 (we are working our way to 100!). It's nice to have everyone together, learning together, and singing together.

In other news...
We received an insurance statement a few days ago and I became bothered and perplexed. This statement has to do with Franklin's first visit to the Orthopedic doctor four days after he broke his foot. We took the x-ray with us, the doctor looked at the x-ray (he has never looked at Franklin's actual foot), agreed that it was broken and said they would put him in a boot...and out the door he went. So how much does this cost??? Well, it was $1410 for the "surgical procedure" and $90 for the office visit. So, what was the "surgical procedure?" I called today and they told me it had to do with the broken foot. Well, I figured that part out since that was the reason we were there, but there was no surgical procedure. So, I proceeded to tell the kind lady that all the doctor did was look at his x-ray...that was it. Oh, okay, so that's what the charge was for. Wait a second! Could it really cost $1410 to look at an x-ray??? Well, yes it does! Oh, but there is another benefit...we don't have to pay to see the doctor for the first 90 days if Franklin is in pain. I told her that Franklin had only been back once and wouldn't be back again, so it should not cost us this much. And at this point I began crying! Insurance is killing us!!! We pay over $1000 per month, then we have a $1000 deductible per person before insurance will cover anything. So, expenses from this broken foot have been completely out-of-pocket! Our insurance company negotiated the "surgical procedure" rate to $661.78, which is much better than $1410, but I still cannot see paying $661.78 for a doctor to look at an x-ray. I feel completely ripped off! I was told that the office manager would call me. I will continue arguing about this "surgical procedure" and tell them I will pay for the office visit, but I do not feel that I should be obligated to pay for anything else. This is beyond ridiculous!

I don't know what can be done about insurance. We aren't part of a group plan because Roger is a small business owner, so we are, basically, getting ripped off every month...and every time we see the doctor. We are planning to switch over to an HSA after Ian is born with a really high deductible...and then we'll pray that everyone stays healthy! It isn't the best solution for our family, but it is the only thing we can afford.

And it even gets a little better...we received a letter yesterday informing us that our insurance company will not cover the cost of Occupational Therapy for Miles' sensory issues because they are due to developmental delay. How frustrating?!