Tim had his MRI and bone density scan this morning. The MRI lasted almost two hours and he said it almost killed him because he had to lay flat on his back. He's still trying to recuperate from it. BUT the biggest hit is the test results we got today. Not officially from the doctor but strait forward enough that it says his bones are brittle and he is at high risk of fracture in his femur as well as his spine. Which is heartbreaking because we know that they won't be able to do a surgery for him. Apparently, the treatments he has been on is not working. I'm seriously at a loss. I don't even know what to think or what to feel. I'm almost numb right at this point. He told me that he knew exactly what the doctor was going to say when we go next Tuesday. We have been discussing what we are going to do and how WE NEED INSURANCE!! SO Please pray that my job at the Boys and Girls Club will become FULL TIME. Because with that comes a raise and GOOD insurance.. And I can take my daughter and continue to homeschool her as well. We will make it through this. WE WILL.. I'm considering going to college. Wish I had done it YEARS ago.
Through the years I have concluded that God gives us numbness so that we don't have to feel it all at once. It gives us a chance to just keep putting one foot in front of the other and think about it later. Numbness can be a grace, for sure. Thank Him for numbness. Still praying.
mommix...please call to see if you qualify for medicaid or medicare. If you guys can't "go there" yet....at least call Blue Cross and get a quote. They sell plans to individuals who can't get it through work....this is how we get our insurance. We buy it directly from them, privately. You should not run into treatment delays with a pre-existing condition. They cover you, and the insurance is very good. Please check them out: http://www.bcbstx.com/coverage Some new coverage options since the ACA might really help you.
We have BCBSTX, problem is that we can't afford to pay for it privately. I will only be making 1,000 a month IF I GET TO STAY ON AFTER SUMMER. That's all we will have to live on and it's too much for him to get Medicaid. Anyway, if they can't do anything then they can't. His bones are too brittle to be considered for surgery there's nothing we can do about that. :/
Sweetheart, are you sure $1000/m is too much for 6 people in the family? Even 5 if your oldest boy is out on his own now. That's well below poverty line, which is $1265 for an individual, $1705 for two, $2144 for three, $2584 for four, $3024 for five, and $3464 for six in the household. Even with you working, you should be eligible for anything that is income-based, and with his medical need he should certainly be eligible. These are federal numbers for July 1 2014 to June 30 2015. Get started on that social security, sweetie! Also medicaid, and food stamps. There's nothing wrong with applying for benefits you have paid in all these years.
Maybe its time to consider getting your husband on disability social security. He would draw and your minor children would draw as well. You might be surprised how much income this would be. Talk to your Dr.s office about this , call social security also. If you live near a large city and find that office overwhelmed, the one in the next county over might not be. If you are the only one working from this point on, you should really go to the "Obamacare" insurance exchange website and try it out. I did it once for kicks when it was all in the news about it now working. At that time they had a sort of a prescreening thing where you could get an estimate and I filled it out at various levels of income just to see what it would return. I really think that with a family of 6 on a single income you would have an affordable premium. YOu husband has worked his whole life and now his medical conditions do not allow it, you need to consider that this might be the case going forward and take the benefit of the programs that all working Americans pay into so they can have social security. Social security was originally meant for when things went wrong. Your spouse has worked beyond what most would consider reasonable if he has lost 8 inches of stature from bad bones. There are some special and likely very exspensive medications that help build bone mass. Sometimes they are used for cancer patients who are loosing mass due to other treatements and for extreme cases of oesteoporosis. I think one is a shot of some kind that makes people ill like chemo does for a few days. It causes an increase in bone mass in many however, and is worth the misery it causes. When my spouse unjustly lost his job with insurance benifits when were still in Fl, he replaced it with one that had better pay and no insurance. I applied for the kids to have insurance through a state program expecting it to be partial pay premium, and found out we were considered poor and that we had no premiums. I was tickled to death the have insurance for them during that time. Perhaps there is a program in your area. If you stop at the local county clinic or their pediatricians office they likely would be able to tell you what your state offers. IF you decide you are going after Social Security benefits, do not delay. Even if you have to go through a long process and have appeals and all of that the sooner you start the process the better. They will back pay you to the date you originally made the claim once the claim is accepted. THis can mean a lot financially.
Mommix, aid programs are there to help folks going through hard times. Use them. You and hubby have paid for them.....like the other gals are saying....there is no shame in it, particularly when you've supported that security net for others all the time you've worked. You've got some serious challenges, you are justified in accepting a little of the help you've provided for others. Please talk to a social worker, and look this over: http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10029.pdf
Vantage said what I've been screaming, sweetie, only she said it better.. Get started on that SSd (Social Security disability).
So, what's the difference in disability and social security?? My dad told me that we needed to get a lawyer to get my husband on disability. He did it and told me how it works. Also, we have a 365 day waiting period for medical to kick in though Disability AND THEN THEY CHARGE YOU FOR THE INSURANCE. I don't understand how that could be, but we also found out today that my husband IS NOT covered for a whole year under his current Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tx insurance for ANY of his medical being that it's pre-existing. I'm SICK to my stomach!! We just had THREE MRI's done at $6,000 a pop and We are responsible to pay that. I guess Obama forgot to mention that there's still a waiting period for medical coverage even though you are REQUIRED to have it. GRRRR!
Mommix, you are being given incorrect information. They MUST cover pre-existing conditions with NO WAITING period according to the new law. https://www.healthcare.gov/how-does-the-health-care-law-protect-me/#part=3 Is this brand new insurance through the new employer he was just let go from? How long has he had it? Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas's site says they DO cover pre-existing conditions with no waiting period: http://www.bcbstx.com/employer/group_health_plan_changes.htm My husband is an industrial mechanical contractor....sometimes insurance is included from his employers, and sometimes it's not...depending on the contract. We fill in the gaps by buying Blue Cross Blue Shield on our own. I have several pre-existing conditions....my old back/hip injuries, hypothyroidism, vascular reflux....a couple that I take daily medication for. I have NEVER had any problem getting them to cover my pre-existing conditions immediately after joining up again. Even if I've been away for a couple years with another insurance....coverage starts immediately. If someone's told you this...you need to push the issue, ask for an appeal, and make them pay. If the insurance was paid and in good standing at the time of the MRI's, they must cover their portion of it. Also....while talking to family members is great for moral support....they will NOT be knowledgeable about how things work for YOUR circumstances. A social worker will know how all the available programs work for someone in your situation (all situations are unique and each has a different set of rules!) The social worker will be able to best direct you through the crazy maze of applying for things. Sometimes they can even expedite the process, provide letters and referral appointments. Ask for help at a local hospital...they should be able to direct you to someone who can really help you!
We got a letter from BCBSTX stating that if there has been treatment for this condition within the past 12 months we would be subject to their pre-existing condition waiting period.. I looked on their site and it said they have a 365 day waiting period for Pre-existing conditions. I didn't fill in the papers yet, we are going to talk with our doctor. It specifically named the spine doctor as the doctor they were questioning.. This doctor has never seen us. I'm sure there has to be a loop hole to get through all this. Perhaps this is why our regular doctor would not order the MRI's and said that the spine doctor would have to do it.. I've been mad at him and now I'm thinking he may have known something we didn't about how this insurance stuff works. Also, I was aggravated because the hospital refused to do the MRI's without us paying our out of pocket deductible up front. It's $1,000 according to them.. We KNOW NOTHING because we don't have paperwork from his employer. But his card states $3,000 deductible. He finally got the hospital to do them after writing a $100 check. I thought they would bill us for what the insurance didn't cover.. But I'm ignorant to all this insurance stuff.. So, What do I know?? BTW: here's a direct quote from the paper we received "Because this patient's coverage has a pre-existing condition waiting period, we need to verify the first date of treatment. "provide the date you or a referring physician first treated the patient for the condition".
How long has he had the insurance? Was he still in the employee probation period at work? Sometimes probationary insurance through an employer can throw some wild cards. That is NOT how Blue Cross works here...which is why I was so shocked. Maybe differences in the states? Ugh...regardless...I'm so sorry you have this headache. Keep fighting, keep asking questions, and keep us updated. Praying for you all.
