Health Care? Not Likely!

Moments between the moments . . . photo between the photos :)

I need to write the most when I feel like writing the least.  These past weeks have been challenging.

We lost our health insurance when my husband was laid off after ten years.  I can only work part time because of my disability so I am inelegible for benefits.  I was foolish and thought this wouldn't be a big problem.

Wrong.  It's a big problem.  The past month, I've spent hours trying to get health coverage.  Exhausting and frustrating hours.

Every single independent company that I contacted has rejected me.  I can almost hear them laughing over the phone.  One said that if I had a prescription filled in the past 12 months, I would be ineligible.

COBRA coverage only helps with 65% of costs, and we cannot change the terms our health plan.  We had good coverage and we supplemented the cost when he was employed.  How are we supposed to pay a bigger chunk of that cost when we bring less money home?  I have no idea.  Even with me alone, the cost is $600 a month.  And that doesn't count insuring the rest of the family.  For all of us, it's almost $2,000 a month.  On unemployment!

So we can't afford continuation coverage.  And investigating government programs to help is another dead end.  We miss the cut-offs for assistance by a few hundred dollars a month (which I guess means we should pay about half of our monthly income for health coverage instead).  I tried Medicare/Medicaid next and I saw that anyone on SSDI for two years is elegible, but I am on State Teacher Retirement for Disability so I think I'm out of luck there, too.  Being a teacher, I can't apply for SSDI even if I wanted to try that route.  I'm going to fill out the massive paperwork just in case.

The California Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan requires that you have been uninsured for the past six months.  So I guess I'll qualify in another five months.

I'm looking into High Risk options, too, but I think that will cost about the same as COBRA.

And the crazy thing is that my health condition isn't even that dramatic for health-care.  I have routine visits with the neurologist, and I take medication for pain, but only about 5 refills a year.  I had bronchitis last year.  No emergency room visits, or surgeries, or massive bills.  Thank goodness I don't need big medical care right now.

Obama's law about pre-existing conditions doesn't begin until 2014.  Hopefully my husband has a job by then.

What a mess.  A scary, sad, frustrating mess.  Where I feel completely toxic.  Since I took care of myself last year, I am punished now.  If I had been less willing to take care of my disability, I'd have better chances of getting coverage now.  Insane.

And then I have the question: Do we pay our mortgage?  Or my health coverage?

What is this crazy system?  I am shocked.

Meanwhile, bedtime and homework.  All this must fall in the moment between moments.  Because life happens.  Ready or not.