Posted by detroitpistons on January 11, 2009, at 13:04:33
In reply to Re: No insurance / No doctor / Need help, posted by Garnet71 on January 11, 2009, at 12:49:21
> Detroit, believe me, I understand. Also, to qualify for medicaid anymore, if you don't have kids, you can only make something like $500 a month (don't quote me on that).
>
> I went for years and years with a child making too much money to qualify for anything. For many years I made $1200 a month--less than $15,000 per year--but could not qualify for ANY help. But get this--my child care expense for work was $500 per month, so I effectively earned $700 a month. They never took that into consideration even though I could not work unless I paid the day care bill. So we went without health care for many years.
>
> One time though, I had to seek mental health services for my child. Through a special program with the government, we got a discount for therapy--$80 an hour instead of $100 an hour..lol! All on my income of $1200 per month minus $500 per month day care charges, I am eligible to pay only $80 an hour for services to help my child.
>
> It keeps people in the cycle of poverty becuase the really destititute, once you start getting out of it, are disqualified from any help. It sometimes is a catch 22 situation. It's also how people with medical problems become homeless.
>
> Oh and many, if not most, doctors charge people without health insurance twice as much as insurance companies pay for the same services. So, it is in your best interest to find a clinic as someone else advised you to do.
>
> It's good to vent, especially anonymously...lol.
> But yes, if you call the drug company you might find out otherwise.
I feel for you. The system we have is sick and twisted. Unless you are completely disabled or on welfare, good luck getting any help. Fortunately, there are some clinics out there. It's nice to know that there are still some people out there who care.People who have had group insurance their whole lives might not realize how lucky they are, and how bad things can be if you lose a job. INDIVIDUAL HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS ARE A SCAM!! They don't cover anything. It's basically just bankrupcy insurance in case you have some kind of catastrophe. Even if I purchased an individual plan right now, it wouldn't cover my mental health because it's a pre-existing condition. If your employer doesn't provide health insurance, you are basically screwed. The individual plans are just pathetic, or they cost hundreds/ month for an individual, and possibly a couple thousand for a family.
I was also without insurance when I got laid off in 2002. I am a layoff magnet, I guess. Anyways, during that time, I couldn't afford insurance. I fell and hurt my back and didn't go to the emergency room because I knew I'd be paying for it for the rest of my life....The idea that getting sick or injured can lead to bankrupcy is just wrong, and it makes my blood boil.
I'm going to be in school for the next couple of years (my first degree didn't do me much good), and I don't have much hope for getting healthcare during that time. In fact, I'm scared to exercise or play sports for fear that I may get injured.
poster:detroitpistons
thread:873209
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090104/msgs/873357.html