Even though we are fortunate...

Today is my Julia's birthday. She turned fourteen. Actually, she wasn't born until around 9:30 P.M. But, let's just say it's an all day celebration of a life I wouldn't know what to do without. She is smart, talented, funny, beautiful, a dancer, a lover of pop-culture...and man does she have a mouth and wit about her. She is a perfect blend of her father and I. I love her (and her brother...but, today is her birthday) more than I could have possibly imagined.

None the less...this year, the Divine Miss J's birthday has been "infected" by multiple trips to the doctor's office, urgent care, er's, antibiotics, cultures, needles, scalpels, anesthesia, fevers, chills, pain, bruises and shots. This child has had a rough week. She has handled it with grace and much humor.

The real issue that I am struggling with is the cost. How do people do this without fantastic health insurance? Look, I love you my right-wing friends and I am queen of the #"pullyourselfupbythebootstrapsclub". But, come on!!! REALLY??? I have one of the best insurance policies in the country. And, this little spider bite has cost our family over $450.00. How is that even possible? Since you asked...$120.00 in various steroids and antibiotic treatments, $150.00 ER co-pay, $120.00 in office visit co-pays and $60.00 in uncovered costs. That was my savings. I get that I should have more saved up. But, I don't.

So what do we do? How does a single-mom, dad, family struggling to survive get through emergencies like this? Because, Julia would have ended up in the hospital (for who knows how long) if I hadn't taken her in on Sunday. She had a 101 degree fever that later climbed to 103 degrees. She could have potentially died without treatment. As a parent, I never want to choose between feeding them and caring for their medical needs. But, without coverage...I wonder if I would have been so quick to take her. Judge me if you will. Remember that boy in D.C. that basically died from not having a root-canal? The infection got into his blood stream and dental work would have saved his life.

The doctor asked me yesterday if we had been out of the country (the bite is really rare). I looked perplexed and he asked, "You know, like the Congo?". I laughed and told him "obviously not." But, sometimes I feel like we live in a backwards country. Like, we have the best of everything here. But, it's like Moses who saw the "Promised Land", yet he could never fully experience it. Is that what being poor is in this country? Is that what God wants for any of us? Some sort of divine "nanana boo boo"? I think not.

I don't have the answers. However, I do think that this is one of the most important conversations we as ministers, healthcare providers, and citizens need to have. Because the resources of this country don't belong to any one individual, race, class, or political party. I'm so grateful for the medical care Julia received and our access to it. I hope that during the coming months and not too distant future we can all partake in the "Promise Land" this country offers.