Obama Care Pt 2. -- & Other Ramblings

Welp.
Obama care is making a lot of people around me pretty angry.
I'm not angry yet, just disappointed.
One of my coworkers exclaimed the other day "Jamie, I hate to say it, but I think I'm becoming a Republican".
Her insurance premiums had just quadrupled - and then some. She now can't afford her own health care because of a program that's supposed to make it more affordable.
3 days later and she's still a Republican and I kinda love it.
I definitely didn't anticipate the cost to raise as much as it has, I am shocked by how much the cost of insurance for people who already had it skyrocketed. It's scary to think about the damage this will do to peoples finances.
Will more people have to go without health insurance now because they can't afford the premiums?
Will those who were formerly insured now be the ones forced to be uninsured because of cost? 

Only 16,000 people have signed up so far...will the costs rise higher as more people sign up? We have a long way to go, California.
I saw a statistic a few days ago that showed that there are more people in California collecting welfare than people that are actually employed. That's scary.
And what about the rest of the country? Some states have opted to not expand Medicare & Medicaid, some have chosen to expand, and some have chosen to stay the same. What about costs of premiums of those living in other states? Did we get a proper warning about what this would do financially, or only listen to the blanket statement that this would be "cheaper healthcare for ALL"?

Maybe insurance companies could lighten up on their ridiculous pre-existing condition clauses. I'll never forget the day I got a letter in the mail from my insurance saying that wouldn't pay for a blood test because it was for a "pre-existing condition" that I failed to mention -- that blood test, was the test that showed I was pregnant. Pre-existing by a matter of...weeks, weeks in which I was covered under them. Shame on you, Anthem. Shame on you. You bet I put my caps lock hand writing on and scribbled an angry message back to them -- not only showing proof of previous insurance but proof of their idiocy.

The saga continues, and quite a lot has happened since my previous post on insurance.
Two weeks ago I was under the impression that my insurance (through my mother) would cover my baby up to 30 days after he is born. Long story short, we were "misinformed"....or lied to.
We found out last week that my insurance company has some major training issues -- and that they train their employees to give 25 different answers to the same question.
And if I hadn't pestered for the right answer it could have cost my family $20,000+.

Because of a clause in my policy about dependents and their children  -- baby Van Nuys will not be covered in the hospital after he is born. If they as much touch his little body we will get charged FULL price.
I'm not complaining about the policy itself, I get that it's what we are signed up for.  There is a huge problem with training!  Because I work in a call center where 40+ people must be trained to give the exact same information out all the time I am a little extra sensitive to this issue. I was told 3 times by 3 separate people that the baby would be covered -- only when I called back to get that statement in WRITING was I told that he wasn't covered. What a joke. Now, here I am scrambling at 8 months pregnant trying to get different coverage.

Just as God would cause all things to work out, we found a way for me to hop on Kaiser insurance through my Dad's company and get full coverage now, regardless of my pregnancy. It won't be cheap once baby arrives...but it will definitely be less than $20,000 for labor and delivery, and hopefully we will qualify to get him on Medi-Cal after the birth is said and done. We do technically qualify for Medi-Cal right now, but it is too risky to wait the 45 day processing time and possibly get denied right before I give birth. So, I now have to switch doctors, hospitals, and entire insurance providers -- at 33 weeks pregnant. It is quite the headache. Granted, it could be worse -- I could be 37 weeks...or 38..or 39....or on the way to the hospital in labor when they called and told me he wasn't covered. All is grace.

There are a lot of benefits to this switching of policies and care.
I get to see the new doctor & midwife at Kaiser on Thursday -- and they offered me a whole 30 minute appointment. At my old doctor all I got was 10 minutes, and I waited 45+ minutes every time because every day she is running late.
The hospital is much closer to our house. Compare 30 miles to 50 miles
There are no questions about if the baby will be covered -- we know for a fact that he will be and that is such a huge relief!

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There's a lot of other things seeming to be snowballing right now for me.
Even though it is my last week of work (hallelujah) my stress level seems to have skyrocketed.
I've been praying for peace, and God has been gracious. He's been bringing to mind scriptures that I overlook or have forgotten about. He's been giving me friends to pray for me constantly and encourage me when things are tough.
My two besties will be here on Friday which means that all of my cares will be lifted (for a few days at least).

And the question is continuously begged, are you ready?
At the end of the day, we are still no where near prepared to be parents. Reality has not hit yet -- or rather sunk in. The smack came the day that we tested positive, but the sinking in part, we'll see when that comes. I reckon it will happen on the way home from the hospital. My heart rate will gradually rise as we get closer to home, I will have google open on every device within arms reach - ready to hit search when the baby starts pooping, or screaming, or crying, or farting, or laughing, or smiling. God definitely knew what He was doing when He gave me a mom who happens to be a doctor. I've avoided sleepless nights, waiting rooms, and awkward yearly physicals thanks to her, not to mention the doctor bills. Seth and I will sit on the couch with our sleeping babe staring at each other in amazement, much like we did in the moments we drove away from our wedding -- and when he starts screaming we will look at each other with an expression that says...."we can do this, right?"

Don't get me wrong, I'm excited. We're excited. I think we're also a little terrified, and I'm learning to believe that that is ok.
All is grace.