$5,000 and Counting

So, the medical statements and healthcare expenses have been trickling in this week. Already, we're at roughly $5,000.00 (+/- some change) for our out-of-pocket spending for the twins for the year 2008 on just medical/healthcare. Yes, that's right...that's roughly $5,000 out-of-pocket, over and above what our insurance covered for 2008. WOW! And, get this...that roughly $5,000.00 only accounts for 6 of the twins medical providers. I'm still waiting on more medical statements and healthcare expenses from 7 additional medical specialists/vendors which Paige and Taylor have seen in 2008. So, I'm thinking we could be pushing $8,000-$10,000 in our medical and healthcare out-of-pocket costs for just Paige and Taylor by the time all the statements arrive and are tallied for 2008. IRS deductions, here we come! Yeeeeeha! Now, just for kicks, I'll have to thumb back through our last two years taxes to see how our medical and healthcare costs for Paige and Taylor this past year stack up against all previous years...that will be an interesting exercise and an eye-opener one way or another, I'm sure.

Now, while $8,000 - $10,000 a year in out-of-pocket healthcare and medical expenses is certainly a good chunk of money, folks, I must tell you that it's nothing, peanuts, chump change compared to what bills those girls wracked up during their NICU days immediately after they were first born as preemies. I will never forget the bills I saw for those costs...Taylor's NICU stay for 3 weeks after her birth was a whopping $300,000 and Paige's NICU stay for 5 weeks after her birth was equally hefty ringing in at $250,000.

Thank God my husband has a GREAT job and that we are fortunate enough to have PPO insurance with his firm which picks up the majority of all medical bills and costs for Paige and Taylor. Without my husband's insurance, these kinds of expenses could easily sink a family!