Our “Cash-Only” Baby

                When we moved from seminary in August of 1968, having finished summer school, our hospitalization insurance ceased.  Although I was still a student who had to finish my last three semester hours by directed study, the insurance plan was only for students who were full-time (those taking 12 or more hours.)

                Naively, as a new pastor I expected the church to automatically enroll me in the district’s insurance plan, which they never did.  I should have taken more initiative in our early weeks there regarding our insurance coverage, but I was tremendously busy and made some assumptions that should not have been made.  The church had not been accustomed to a full-time pastor—the previous pastor owned two funeral homes and did not need the district insurance plan.

                In early November we suspected that Winona was pregnant with our second child, so we rushed to check on our insurance.  Immediately after discovering that we had never been enrolled in the district plan, I enrolled in the plan paying the premium myself.  Of course, the plan would not cover pregnancy unless the policy had been in effect for at least nine months.  We would only be covered if the baby did not arrive before August 3rd—however, since the birth was to be a caesarian section it was uncertain if Winona could go until that date.  With Murphy’s Law at work (“What can go wrong will go wrong”) the doctor determined that Winona could not risk going full term and having labor begin, so Sandra was taken on July 12th, twenty-two days too soon!   

                Consequently, our second daughter Sandra was born without the benefit of any insurance coverage.  Furthermore, St. Luke’s hospital where Sandra was to be born would not extend any credit—they had to have cash up-front.  Needless-to-say with our having very little money in the bank, and my making only sixty-five dollars per week, I had to scramble to find a way to pay for the doctors and the hospital.  Our car was nearly six years old, so the banks would not loan any money on it.  Fortunately, what little credit rating I had was good, and after nearly begging at the bank and putting up some things for collateral, I convinced a banker to grant me a signature loan—which took us a few years to pay off.

                Some lessons were learned early about managing things for yourself and not counting on others to be concerned about your welfare.  These were the beginnings of our “Cash-Only Baby,” Sandra.