I really need health CARE reform or I am at dire risk of becoming disabled

[mdmc]

I am pretty ill. I am trying to deal with my health, but cannot afford the medical treatment required for me to maintain and remain employed.
I work 50 hours per week and have "for profit" health insurance through my employer.

I am in pain all the time and struggling to remain employed and off of disability.
I can feel better, if I can pay for it. My "for profit" insurance does not help me pay for required medical treatment. I cannot afford the treatment that I need.

So my question - how does providing millions of poor people "for profit" medical insurance help anything? Won't the poor people be in the same boat as me - unable to afford medical treatment?

I guess that they won't mind as long as they are healthy.. but then, why do they need the for profit insurance if they are healthy? And if they are sick like me, how will they be able to afford treatment? Will they be given help to pay for treatment? Will I be given help to pay for my medical treatment?

I would love to feel better and stay off of disability. If I can afford to do so, I will.

[Traveling_Home]

1. Not if the treatment that you need.....

is medical marijuana. No private or public insurance plan will cover that treatmnt no matter what your Doctor says. No matter if You Doctor swears it is the only thing keeping you off of disability.

Sorry. Not gonna happen with MMJ (meant only as an example) or a whole host of other medical treatments whether you have private or public insurance. Th isssue you are concerned with is not within the private public insurance issue.

[mdmc]

2. physical therapy, occupational therapy, and embrel injections

all prescribed by my Rheumatologist.. all are hard to afford.

My knees are swollen and I find it hard to walk.
My right arm no longer straighten out - it has a permanent crimp in my elbow.

Smoking, imho, would only hurt me as my illness is blood related and smoking will effect the blood, veins, yadda yadda..

Thanks for the reply - peace and low stress..

[Donnachaidh]

5. have you looked into any state societies for help?

My son has hemophilia, and even when we had private insurance we found that at times we needed help, especially with co-pays on some of his meds ($1000 a dose with a 20% co-pay adds up quickly), and the Georgia Hemophilia group really stepped in and took care of what we could not do. And they have clinics he attends every year - his wellness clinic.

They also do the same thing for adults. Seriously - see if there is a group that might be able to help. And contact your county health department. Our local one helped us when we were between insurances and needed meds, etc.

[mdmc]

6. Perhaps there is a NYS Rheumatology Society?

Or maybe a PT or OT support society? I never thought of that and will need to research - thanks for the reply and the good idea.. peace and low stress..

[madmax]

12. I too suffer with r/a

for 10 years. I feel so sorry for you because I know how much pain you suffer. It's a disgrace that you aren't able to get decent medical.

Can you ask your doctor to provide you with samples? I believe that Embrel has a program to help with the cost.

:hug:

[dflprincess]

3. The only help you MIGHT get - and your income has to be really low for that

is that you'd become eligible for Medicaid. But your income can't be more than 150% of the poverty level so the income cut off for a single person is between $14-15K a year.

Neither the Senate or the House bill do anything to guarantee access to care. The public option might help a bit with that, but the only thing that would guarantee that we would actually get treatment is a single payer (aka Medicare for All) system.

[mdmc]

4. I do like the funding for community health centers

other then that, this hcr seems to suck..

thanks for the reply - peace and low stress..

[dflprincess]

9. The community health centers funding is a good thing

and it could be passed as a stand alone bill. What I wonder about is, how much of the money will go to areas that currently do not have a CHC? It's great to have them, but if there aren't enough to serve the (ever growing) population that needs them or people have to travel long distances to get to them while they'll certainly help, there well still be far too many people not getting help.

The other thing is, their services are based on ability to pay. And, if the CHC income limits are as out of touch as the other ones in the bill, there will be people who can't afford care at the CHC's either.

This should not be a hard thing to figure out. With everyother industrialize nation managing to provide health care to their citizens, we have plenty of models to choose from. The arguments we should be having is which of these systems or a combination is the best.

What Congress & Obama is pushing isn't HCR it's an insurance bill.

[kenny blankenship]

7. Your access to the system will be iffy and prohibitively expensive BUT the subsidies to the industry

are guaranfuckingteed, large and regular.

So here's what: put all your money in Cigna common stock and WellPoint and Aetna and you too can join in the fun!

[mdmc]

8. all my money goes to rent, gas, and medicine

but if I had two pennies to rub together I would by Toyota stock (which is probably why I am so poor, lol)..

[Vinca]

10. I'm pretty much in the same fix with a deteriorated hip and no insurance.

I checked out Medicaid and you have to practically be living in a box on the street to qualify. I also just checked out disability as a last resort (since I prefer to keep working) and I doubt I would qualify since I'm still managing to carry on and eke out an existence and apparently being in pain all the time doesn't matter to them. I've come to the conclusion I'm basically screwed unless our dysfunctional government does something. I'm thankful my problem isn't life threatening . . . so many others are dealing with that. Four years until Medicare.

[mdmc]

11. I've got years to go before i "retire"

Although it now looks like I will work until I am eventually disabled.. I will never get to retire..

[madmax]

13. I just peeked

at your profile. I lived in Bloomingrove for a short time. The weather up there sure doesn't help r/a.

[mdmc]

14. i find that exercising really helps me - but the cold makes it so hard

[EmeraldCityGrl]

15. It's especially difficult when you need "treatments" opposed to

drug prescriptions which are sometimes subsidized.

I'm hoping for the best for you.:)

[madmax]

16. For anyone reading this thread who qualifies

for permanent disability. This is how it's done or you'll either wait forever, or get turned down.

If your doctor in his medical opinion believes you are unable to perform your job the first thing you do is consult with a lawyer who specializes in Social Security Disability.

I'm hearing impaired and also suffer from r/a. When I applied I was turned down right on the spot. The intake person didn't even want to take my application because she said, 'you don't qualify'. First, who is she to make that determination. Anyway, my husband was with me because I can't hear and since my hearing loss began in my 30 and progressed extremely fast in both ears he was there to 'hear' for me.

After she completed the forms we went to the lawyer and he sent a letter to them that he would be representing me and within a month I had received my 'Award Letter'.

My son had cancer, MS, arthritis in his spine, and is a right leg amputee - he was turned down. After being denied, he hired a lawyer, still turned down. He went to his Congress Critters office and his Senator. With their intervention he was awarded disability and they had to pay him retroactive - a years worth of disability.

Most of us want to work and not collect disability but, there is nothing that I know of that once you do get perm. disability, treatment and start feeling better where you and your doctor believe you could give work a try, why not? They allow you to try to make it work at a job for I believe 6 months, not so sure about that. SS Disability will pay for school or re-training and help you find a job.

Well, that's my 4 cents.

[mdmc]

17. thanks for the 4 cents

peace and low stress madmax

[Lydia Leftcoast]

18. That is precisely my objection to the Senate health bill

that people will be required to buy insurance that they can't afford to use.

It's a fact that the starry-eyed ones refuse to acknowledge.

I already have one of those policies, so the Senate bill would either keep my status the same or make it worse. :-(

[mdmc]

19. people will be required to buy insurance that they can't afford to use