Health insurance - half vent, half whine...

[ChampagneBlossom]

So, here's the thing. We live on a little more than 18,000 a year for our family of four. So under the poverty level. Our kids just got signed up for Medicaid but my husband and I aren't eligible. How is this possible? Where exactly are we supposed to *get* insurance? Are we doomed to just stay uninsured?

There are some "county clinic" type places that will treat people for free. The care in this type of facility is horrendous and I've experienced first hand what their "treatment" consists of. Honestly, it's not really the health care you would expect in America. Or at least, you shouldn't have to settle for it. The clinics I've visited in the past were literally dirty, with *rude* staff, and I was half afraid I would catch something that was worse than what I went in to get treated for.

I went in once and the intake staff had me fill out a questionnaire that asked what schooling I had - it went up from 4th grade to completed high school and some college. College degree and above wasn't even ON the list. They also asked if I was homeless, what drugs I had used in the past thirty days (that section literally went on for a page and a half with them listing EVERY drug I could think of and many I've never heard of before) and do I know the fathers of my children and just... the whole thing was humiliating and condescending; I'm not exactly an overly proud person, but it was just ridiculous. Once I actually saw the doctor after four hours of waiting, without even LOOKING at me or talking to me, the doctor told me, "oh, you must have scabies, it's going around with you people" - huh? And then went on to usher me out the door and told me to go home and boil everything soft in our house - even though I didn't have scabies and I knew it. I didn't even get treated for what I went in for. So much for free clinics. Maybe I just had bad luck with them, but come on, is that really our only option?

I have a lot of medical needs that NEED to be seen. Gyno appointments every 4-6 months, regular visits to get new glasses, tons of cavities and gum problems as a result of my pregnancies... Thousands of dollars worth of work every year has to be done. And where exactly in our budget is that supposed to come from? And we're really not eligible for any state aid?? What the...

[elisent]

I hear you! Our famiy of six makes $24,000 a year. Our children get medicaid but we don't qualify. Washington state has a low-cost health insurance program for adults but they aren't accepting new applications.

My husband recently had a true emergency and ended up in the hospital. He now has a $13,000 bill and no way to pay it. The hospital's charity program still hasn't told us if we qualify. If we do, it will only cover the facility but not the ambulance, tests, x-rays, doctors, procedures, etc.

The low income clinic here is really backed up. Two years ago I called to make an appointment to ask for antidepressants because I was suicidal. They just told me they weren't taking any new patients for six months and hung up on me.

We're going to end up filing bankruptcy over the hospital bills, but I'm very scared because we still have no way to get health insurance. What if this happens again?

[Equuskia]

Ask about the procedure for appealing the decision. That's pretty weird that your kids qualified for medicaid, but not you?

[shayinme]

Originally Posted by Equuskia

Ask about the procedure for appealing the decision. That's pretty weird that your kids qualified for medicaid, but not you?

It seems that happens quite a bit in some states.

To the OP are there any sliding scale clinics in your area? Many years ago I went to a free clinic in Chicago and it was horrible. However last year I went to a clinic that is sliding scale in my area and it was really nice, the only downside is they are majorly backed up. But I was treated with respect and dignity and aside from the onerous paperwork (since my dh is self-employed I had to bring tax records, etc) its been a good experience. The only downside is that they cannot address my hernia and for the hospital/providers that would, my income is still too high. Nothing like walking around with your intestines poking out.

Sadly IMO in America there are millions of us who fall between the cracks when it comes to medical care. In my case my income is too high for state coverage (I am applying now and was already told based off the initial figures we don't qualify, not even my kid but we may qualify for spenddown yet I cannot afford health insurance anymore.

I work but my job does not offer health coverage and my dh is self-employed. For years we had a high deductible policy that covered nothing and real coverage runs now $1200 a month, I can't afford that. :

[ChampagneBlossom]

We moved from a state that insured people 200% PL and below; this state covers something like, I think it's either 60% or 70% of the poverty line and below. This was NOT something I expected before we moved out here, and I'm totally kicking myself for it. I should have researched it, but really, I was naive and didn't expect us to not qualify with our income.

I'm glad the kids qualify but if I knew it was just them I might not have put them on any list until there was an emergency and they needed to be seen, then apply for Medicaid retroactively once we were there. In our old state we kept getting hounded to do WBV's and get vaxed and all this other stuff, I mean regular phone calls and mail once a week at least. We really applied as a family to get the low-cost insurance but either they're not accepting new applications or they changed the limits; we appealed the decision and this was the NEW decision, that the kids at least get on it. I tried calling the agent and she was away on vacation so I haven't heard back from her yet. :

[ChampagneBlossom]

Originally Posted by shayinme

The only downside is that they cannot address my hernia and for the hospital/providers that would, my income is still too high. Nothing like walking around with your intestines poking out.

That sounds absolutely awful.

Originally Posted by shayinme

I work but my job does not offer health coverage and my dh is self-employed. For years we had a high deductible policy that covered nothing and real coverage runs now $1200 a month, I can't afford that.

Hey, if we got on that, we'd have a whopping $200 left over at the end of the month after insurance!

[Delicateflower]

Welcome to America.

[tryingforbaby]

I wonder how you would go about a grivence for the care. I know it would stink but maybe they would have to see you until it is cleared.

Originally Posted by ChampagneBlossom

So, here's the thing. We live on a little more than 18,000 a year for our family of four. So under the poverty level. Our kids just got signed up for Medicaid but my husband and I aren't eligible. How is this possible? Where exactly are we supposed to *get* insurance? Are we doomed to just stay uninsured?

There are some "county clinic" type places that will treat people for free. The care in this type of facility is horrendous and I've experienced first hand what their "treatment" consists of. Honestly, it's not really the health care you would expect in America. Or at least, you shouldn't have to settle for it. The clinics I've visited in the past were literally dirty, with *rude* staff, and I was half afraid I would catch something that was worse than what I went in to get treated for.

I went in once and the intake staff had me fill out a questionnaire that asked what schooling I had - it went up from 4th grade to completed high school and some college. College degree and above wasn't even ON the list. They also asked if I was homeless, what drugs I had used in the past thirty days (that section literally went on for a page and a half with them listing EVERY drug I could think of and many I've never heard of before) and do I know the fathers of my children and just... the whole thing was humiliating and condescending; I'm not exactly an overly proud person, but it was just ridiculous. Once I actually saw the doctor after four hours of waiting, without even LOOKING at me or talking to me, the doctor told me, "oh, you must have scabies, it's going around with you people" - huh? And then went on to usher me out the door and told me to go home and boil everything soft in our house - even though I didn't have scabies and I knew it. I didn't even get treated for what I went in for. So much for free clinics. Maybe I just had bad luck with them, but come on, is that really our only option?

I have a lot of medical needs that NEED to be seen. Gyno appointments every 4-6 months, regular visits to get new glasses, tons of cavities and gum problems as a result of my pregnancies... Thousands of dollars worth of work every year has to be done. And where exactly in our budget is that supposed to come from? And we're really not eligible for any state aid?? What the...

[ChampagneBlossom]

Originally Posted by tryingforbaby

I wonder how you would go about a grivence for the care. I know it would stink but maybe they would have to see you until it is cleared.

The only thing I've heard, when I ask about pricing or alternative payment or anything, is that everyone sends me to the free clinic. There has to be only one in town or something because EVERYONE recommends it and has their little pamphlet. It's actually in the same building as the Medicaid sign up so I've seen what it looks like first hand, and it doesn't look any better than the other free clinics I've seen in my life.

[Dar]

Originally Posted by Equuskia

Ask about the procedure for appealing the decision. That's pretty weird that your kids qualified for medicaid, but not you?

Not weird at all, actually. In most states the cut-off is much, much lower for kids. I believe Kansas would cover kids if the family made up to 150% of the poverty level - it might even have been 200% - but in my county I wouldn't be covered if our family made more than $250 a month.

Planned Parenthood is a good place for gyno stuff. If there's a dental school in your area, you can often go there for cheap dental care, although you'll still have to pay something. some counties have a dental clinic that works sliding scale... but honestly, even people with insurance often don't have dental coverage.

For glasses, you can often get a cheap vision exam - check the ads in the papers or if your local Target has an eyecare center they're usually cheap. Then order your glasses from Zenni Optical - www.zennioptical.com - for $8.95 a pair plus $5 shipping. I wear the same glasses for years, though - no regular appointments to get a new prescription, unless my vision changes significantly.

Yeah, it sucks. I have health insurance now, for the first time in years, even though we've always been poor enough that Rain qualified. I learned los of ways to work it out, but it still sucks.

dar

[shayinme]

I agree with Dar that PP is a great resource for gyno visits, they do have a sliding scale. I have used them off and on over the years in different states and had no problem with the care.

[ColoradoMama]

Health care insurance in this country sucks. We have gotten very lucky with our situation, but after a month of looking into it, I am just sick to my stomach about the way it is in our country. When dh got laid off, we had to look for other insurance - we could not get insurance through anyone for any member of our family because I am pregnant - not even the kids. He got a contract job with no benefits, so we didn't qualify for any state insurance. The ONLY thing we could qualify for was COBRA which is outrageously expensive. Luckily (thank you Obama) we should qualify for the reduced rate for COBRA. It's just outrageous what people have to deal with in this country. It makes me sick to my stomach. We got lucky, but how many people in our situation haven't?

Definitely look into dental schools. Some of them you don't even have to pay for care, but you do have to plan the whole day because you might sit in the waiting room for HOURS. Planned Parenthood is an option for gyno stuff, but due to my own experiences with them in THREE different states - please be very informed and wary of the care. They screwed me over big time - although many other people have gotten very good care from them.