05/06/2026
How much did you pay for medical and dental last year? I really want to know.
“I work for insurance.” I hear it from moms all the time — women barely breaking even just to keep their families covered.
Medishare used to be amazing for us. But like so many plans, the coverage has gone down.
Here’s our year:
• $12,000 in annual premiums
• $3,000 household portion (our deductible)
• $6,500 in medical — $5,500 midwife and home birth, $600 circumcision, $400 medications and office visits
• $5,150 in dental — $1,200 for me, $1,200 for Charlie, $650 for Harper’s lip tie, $1,100 for Sadie’s lip tie, $1,000 for Nash’s lip & tongue tie. Cavities, X-rays, cleanings, all necessary. Nash was having awful reflux issues, and couldn’t take a bottle, Harper was mouth breathing and had a huge gap between her teeth that would have led to braces. Sadie had a huge gap in her teeth, and was also mouth breathing at night. It needed done before cavities started.
Being a farmer and self-employed is an uphill battle, and the cost of care keeps climbing. I’m beyond thankful for our nurse practitioner in town — without her, our out-of-pocket would be even higher.
You can only squeeze so much juice out of a lemon before it runs dry.
I took a job that fulfills me in every way — but the number one reason was the insurance. As our farm grows, my role here will grow too. But it’ll be on top of working for insurance again.
They base their “coverage” on Medicare estimates. They told me an ultrasound should cost $200. Try $1,200. We should have gotten back atleast $3,500 this year. We got $497.
