Health YW

Archive for June, 2011

If you have a high deductible health plan (HDHP), you may be eligible to create a Health Savings Account. Also known as an HSA, this is basically a special savings account that is used to pay for medical related expenses. The primary benefit of this account is that you can make contributions (or deposits) into your account using pre-tax income. The drawback is that you can only use money in this account for medical-related expenses. The definition of medical related expenses is pretty broad; I have even heard that you can buy diapers with your health savings account.

The tax savings works like this: Say you make $50,000 in one year, and you want to contribute $2,000 to your health savings account (There are yearly contribution limits, make sure you aren’t contributing more than your limit). You deposit the $2,000 in your account and you write the whole $2,000 off on your taxes even if you haven’t spent a dime in medical related expenses that year. Your savings account grows tax free and rolls over from year to year, unlike a flexible spending account. When you need to make medical related expenses (doctor bills, deductible, medicine, etc), just use the money from your health savings account. Piece of cake!

After spending a couple hours reading through my health insurance documentation, I finally figured out how to start my health savings account. The one thing that would have been nice is if my health insurance company told me that I wasn’t setting up the health savings account through them or with them. I could go to any financial institution that I wanted and set the account up there. I did a search on Google for HSA accounts and found plenty of places to sign up. The one credit union I ended up with offered the account with a visa debit card and a 5% interest rate. The only drawback is that they start charging a $1/month fee after the first year. However, all I need in the account is $240 and the interest will cover the monthly fee the entire time.

My health savings account ended up being really easy to get started. I just filled out some forms online, clicked the “I agree” button, sent them a couple bucks to start the account off, and now everything is set up. I didn’t have to do anything through my Health Insurance to get the account set up. After setting up your health savings account, just be sure to get itemized receipts for every single purchase that you make with your account. Save these receipts in case you need to show that all your purchases were health related. I will have to research exactly what expenses are included in “medical related expenses” so that I can take maximum advantage of all the tax savings. It will be great knowing that I can pay for cough drops tax-free!

A.A. History Brief: Oxford Group Principles

By Dick B.

© 2011 Anonymous. All rights reserved

What the Oxford Group Principles Were

Many within and without the Oxford Group have endeavored to describe the principles of the Oxford Group. One Australian Oxford Group writer spoke of eight principles of the Group. Bill Wilson sometimes spoke of six “Steps” of the Oxford Group. But the idea that the Oxford Group had any “Steps”—let alone six—was dispelled by Oxford Group historian and activist T. Willard Hunter. And repudiation of this idea was finally publicized in A.A.’s own “Pass It On” (NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1984), 206 n.2.

Undaunted, Bill Wilson’s wife Lois spoke of some six “ideas.” Then one writer called on an anonymously-authored book by a non-Oxford Group writer and deduced that there were “four principles” and “four practices.” Finally, when I wrote my title, The Oxford Group & Alcoholics Anonymous: A Design for Living That Works (now in its third edition), I set forth some 28 ideas of the Oxford Group that had impacted on Alcoholics Anonymous. And this book and its view received the endorsement of a large number of experienced Oxford Group writers and optimists.

But history has also made possible a very explicit statement of the real Oxford Group “Principles,” as the Group people themselves characterized them. First, in the early 1920′s, Rev. Samuel M. Shoemaker, “a chief lieutenant” of the Oxford Group in America, asked his long-time friend (who was also a long-time associate of Oxford Group Founder Dr. Frank Buchman) to write a statement of the ideas. They were seven in number.

Accordingly, Shoemaker’s friend, Sherwood Sunderland Day, penned a short pamphlet, titled The Principles of the Group (Oxford, University Press, n.d.). Years later, Rev. Sam Shoemaker’s assistant minister, Rev. W. Irving Harris, wrote that Bill Wilson was familiar with those principles when he (Bill) later discussed formulation of the Twelve Steps with Rev. Shoemaker. Harris then summarized Sherwood Day’s seven Oxford Group principles in slightly-different language.

Actually, Dr. Bob’s wife, Anne Ripley Smith, discussed those seven Sherry Day principles in the personal journal she kept from 1933-1939, and also shared with early AAs and their families.

Comments about the Background and Words of Rev. Sherwood Day

First, the Oxford Group probably was founded about 1919 when Dr. Frank Buchman (its founder), Buchman’s mentor Professor Henry Wright, and Howard A. Walter collaborated to write what was the first Oxford Group book—Soul Surgery. Shortly thereafter, Frank Buchman gathered around him an informal group of young supporters who would join him in traveling about the world. Sam Shoemaker was one of the men. Sherry Day was another. And, though this group of men had no formal name, they called themselves “A First Century Christian Fellowship.” It was in this period that Buchman’s ideas—gathered through the years before—had become known to his “Fellowship” members.

Sherwood Sunderland Day’s The Principles of the Group

Sherwood Day began his pamphlet with the statement that the principles of the Oxford Group were the principles of the Bible. The statement and the principles are discussed and annotated accurately in Dick B., Anne Smith’s Journal, 1933-1939: A.A.’s Principles of Success, 3rd ed. Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 1998), 129-32.

Day said: “It is never possible to find Life—peace with God—victory—power by merely trying to follow out principle.” He said: “That life comes to one as a possession through but one gateway—a personal experience of Jesus Christ and Him Crucified.” He said further that the Oxford Group was a life—that life which is hid in Christ with God; and that the following principles are revelations or pictures of what is bound to take place in any life that is surrendered to the Will of God (Dick B., Anne Smith, 130).

Day then set forth the following seven biblical principles—the principles of the Oxford Group:

God-guidance. Day said “guidance” meant “communion with our Father, the Living God . . . listening to God . . . two-way prayer . . . thinking God’s thoughts after Him” (Dick B., Anne Smith, 130).

Fearless dealing with sin. Day said: “The great fact of history is Jesus Christ, the second is the presence of sin.” He said the Bible frankly faces the fact of sin and offers a cure. He said Jesus Christ faced men honestly and fearlessly, gave them courage to do the same with themselves, and then showed them the way out (Dick B., Anne Smith, 130).

Sharing: Day said: “A sharing Christian is a propagating Christian.” He said: “sharing,” as used by the Group, covered two distinct things: (1) confession, and (2) witness. Quoting James 5:16, Day said it was necessary to “confess your faults one to another.” He then said sharing, or witnessing, was necessary in helping others. It established confidence because the person confessed to know that the confessor had been through a like experience (Dick B., Anne Smith, 131).

The necessity for adequate, intelligent, expressional activity. Day urged: “a God-guided, released life with constant outgo into the lives of needy people” (Dick B., Anne Smith, 131).

Stewardship. Day pointed out “that He who bought us with a  price owns us and all that He has entrusted to us. On such a basis, houses, lands, money, things, relationships, gifts, all that we are and have, made up a trust which we are to administer” (Dick B., Anne Smith, 131).

Team-work. Day said Jesus Christ believed in team work. He gathered a small group about him and set the example for all his followers in this respect Dick B., Anne Smith, 131).

Loyalty. Day said: The supreme loyalty in life should be to Jesus Christ, but . . . the person or group of persons embodying for us the highest challenge we know, the person or persons that have been used to reveal Jesus Christ to us are persons and groups which demand our loyalty” Dick B., Anne Smith, 131-32).

References

Garth Lean, Frank Buchman: a Life (London: Constable, 1985)

Sherwood Sunderland Day, The Principles of the Group (Oxford: University Press, n.d.)

Dick B., The Oxford Group & Alcoholics Anonymous: A Design for Living that Works, new

rev ed. (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 1998)

Dick B., New Light on Alcoholism: God, Sam Shoemaker, and A.A., Pittsburgh ed. (Kihei,

HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 1999)

Dick B., Anne Smith’s Journal 1933-1939: A.A.’s Principles of Success, 3rd ed. (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 1998)

Gloria Deo

The best part about living our lives is the unpredictability factor. That’s what makes our lives so special and fun. The paths we tread, the things we do, all invariably influences our lives and its directions and has a series of consequences. These series of consequences can be either good or bad and sometimes it can be the scenario of both happening at the same time. As such we face many obstacles in our lives amidst the hectic schedule we stick to. Nonetheless, we ought to be ready and prepared for anything that comes by our way.

Falling sick, contracting infections and diseases is all a part of the package of life. There is no assurance that we won’t go through them as it is more likely to happen than not. It is just that we cannot predict when it might happen. If it happens often, you ought to be doubly careful. Thus it is very significant for us to take precautionary steps and take care of our lives so that we can lead it in a healthy way and if not we can still survive the damage without further issues. Medical treatment is pretty expensive these days. It is not easy to walk in to hospitals for a problem and walk out of it without spending most part of your savings. The doctor fees, the test reports, medicine charges, other services, facilities used etc all adds up to you medical bill inducing a great weight on your head and shoulders. And as falling sick can happens unpredictably, running the family is also obstructed and you incur heavy financial constraints.

Thus it is advisable for you take up insurance and maintain your account regularly. Insurance assures life flexibility at hard times due to medical issues. It is important for your loved ones to be insured to take care of them and more so important for your health to be insured as you are the family head and if not for you, your loved ones might find it hard to survive under the financial constraints. Most people tend to ignore insurance as they think it is unnecessary to pay monthly premium without falling sick and they might not get use of it due to the unpredictability factor. Of course, you might have to pay the premium every month, but every penny you invest for your account will serve useful at crucial times when you need it the most. The same applies to your family members. Nonetheless, when you choose a plan or a package, see to that you can cover the premium interest rates on your monthly budget. The whole point of having the insurance is to keep the account active and use it when you need it. If you are not able to make ends meet, you are liable to lose your account and whatever you invested for it becomes an absolute waste.

There are several websites providing you will all the necessary details you would need about these insurance plans and its service providers. Make use of them to choose a feasible package that reaps more benefits for you and your family.