WARNING: VENT

We've started receiving the bills from E's appendectomy. Merry Christmas to us. We have a personal insurance plan so our premiums are high and our deductibles are high. Between having a baby and E's emergency we have spent over 40% of our income on medical bills this year. That does not include co-pays and perscriptions. We did have savings to pay for deductibles, etc. but R's stay in the level 2 nursery (that was not required, but was good to be done as a cautionary measure)drastically increased the amount we owed for him.
We have I*C insurance, go to I*C doctors, and I*C hospitals. It totally feels like one hand feeding the other. Our trip started out as a Dr. visit in one town. He sent us to a CT scan at a hospital in a 2nd town. They sent us to another hospital's ER in a 3rd town. All of these facilities are owned by I*C. I also don't understand how a trip to the emergency room warrants a charge from the hospital for you showing up in the ER and a seperate charge for the space they let you occupy in the ER. Then there is the charge from the hospital after you are admitted, the ER doctor, the ER surgeon, the Anethesiologist (and that's extra because it was an emergency), and the pathologist who looks at the appendix after its all done.
I know that there are many people in worse shape than we are because of medical bills. I say prayers of thanks every day that R is healthy and growning strong. I know that we can recover from this eventually, but it all happened the same year we finished the basement and we went down to one income.
My dream has always been to be a stay at home mom. I want to be there for my kids. I believe that having a parent at home makes a big difference. It is a sacrafice to live within our means, but it is one that is worth it. Our trials make us stronger, and this too shall pass...eventually.