[Kitty]

Okay....I don't intend for this to be a "downer" post but I see no other way.

I don't have any health insurance.....first time ever that I've been totally uninsured. I will qualify for Medicare in September of 2010. But what do I do in the meantime? What do others do? I need to research Medicare and see what it covers because I know there is some out of pocket expense for me.

I could not afford COBRA at nearly $700 a month. Luckily my meds are not expensive....but my Neuro wants $185 for an office visit which I cannot see paying.

Just wondering what others here without insurance do.

[just drea]

We signed up with a Walgreen store for discounts meds program., and we get Hubbys heart medicine from Canada (at almost 1/4 of the US prices )..and I ask everywhere I go for doctor treatments what they charge for non-insured, they almost always give a discounted price. It isn't the same as a co-pay...but at least they give me a little break.

It is very difficult living each day knowing that one of us can die, because we dont have "insurance"...or lose everything we own, which took years for us working to and aquire..when we can't pay our medical bills.

[Kitty]

I was able to get my BP meds from a pharmacy in Canada. Apparently the generic is not available here in the states yet due to some patent red tape...but it should be available next year I'm being told.

I can get a 90 day supply of the generic for what I would pay for a 30 day supply of the brand. So....I pay $90 every three months instead of every month which is great. I just have to order through the online pharmacy.

Everything else I take can be gotten in generic form so it's only $4 a month.

I'm going to call my Neuro's office and explain to them that I have no insurance and see if they can reduce the office visit cost. I would assume that since I am on SSDI I have to keep my appointments with the Neuro......which is why I cannot understand the nearly 2 year wait for Medicare. What on earth do they think people do in the meantime?

[SandyC]

I answered for Jim. He's on Medicare and Tricare. He is also covered by the va.

Kitty, the system is truly messed up. I don't understand the whole thing either. They give you disability but make you wait two years to be covered medically.

[lady_express_44]

Kelly, I'm sorry you are in this predicament.

I don't see how they could expect you to make doctors visits, while living off the measily SSDI payment, and with no medical insurance. I think that would be a very unrealistic expectation . . . but I would call the SSDI people and ask "what am I supposed to do ... ?"

You have MS, and have been accepted for SSDI already. MS is a progressive disease, and they do not normally expect people to "get better" enough to work. Some people do, but not most. They must be fully aware of this kind of dilemma.

Even if your doc/neuro was to say "you need to go on Tysabri @ $100,000 a year", it's not going to happen. In fact, if he suggests you do anything differently, most things would not be feasible due to financial constraints. I don't see the point in visiting the neuro under those circumstances.

There are going to be times that you HAVE to see a doc, like for a UTI or bronchitis, etc., so I would save my $ for those emergencies.

Cherie

[Dejibo]

Medicare is my primary, but I have my employers plan, and then I am secondary on the hubby's plan. So, I have an amazing amount of coverage. The problem is, if medicare wont pay for a proceedure, or visit, the other plans wont pay for it either without a fight. I do have appeals process' to fight with, but what a PIA. I consider myself quite lucky.

[Ivy2]

I'm retired from NYS so w/SSDI Medicare as my primary and Empire Plan as secondary I am covered. The Empire Plan covered the waiting period for Medicare to kick in so I feel lucky.

[wkikta]

If you talk to the Doctors office they may reduce the amount you pay to what they would get from Insurance, usually less than half of what they charge.

[Erin524]

I have my own private insurance that my dad is nice enough to pay for me. I have a pretty high deductible (think it's $2500)

I'm not on public assistance at all. Again my dad is a nice guy and feeds me, buys me clothes (I'm cheap on clothes. I wear Walmart t-shirts and jeans, and I love getting stuff on clearance) and he puts gas in my car. (I take my mom to all her appointments and wherever she wants to go...so that's fair)

I stay home with my mom during the day so that she doesnt get into trouble (if she falls, I'll go help her up, I feed her lunch or take her somewhere to eat) I dont go out much, but my dad will occasionally give me $20 every once in awhile to go to a movie or dinner with my boyfriend.

Sometimes he buys me yarn for my crochet and knitting obsessions, but I have TONS of yarn that I amassed back when I actually had a job, so it's not often I ask him to buy me yarn (I've been giving him some of my stash for his knitting hobby, so him buying me some yarn occasionally is his way of reimbursing me for him raiding my yarn stash)

I am going to school (again, thanks to my dad) at the local community college. I cant concentrate on more than one class at a time, so it's taking me awhile. (if I do two classes, one I'll pass, and the other I'll usually fail, so it's easier on my brain to do one class at a time) I'm trying to get a certificate for doing medical transcription. I'm pretty close to finishing it tho.

Hopefully I'll finish my classes soon and will get a nice transcription job (if I can get one where I can work at home, that would be great!) and hopefully I'll be able to start taking on some of the bills that my dad has been nice enough to pay for me. Maybe I'll at least be able to pay him rent money again. With any luck, maybe I'll be able to get a job somewhere that will give me some nice insurance that doesnt have such a high deductible. (altho, I'm scared to give up my private insurance if I were to get a job that offers insurance)

I'm just scared that the MS will blindside me (again...first big symptom was optic neuritis) and that it'll screw up my ability to actually work.

I guess if I lose my insurance I'll have to go for the soon-to-be socialized medicine. I dont hold out much hope for the socialized medicine tho, with all the talk about them "rationing" healthcare for people who have serious chronic medical conditions or for people who are older. (I'm only *almost* 40, but I've got the chronic medical condition) I still dont know what they mean about them disciplining the doctors that might not comply with the regulations they're talking about implementing. (I'm guessing that must have something to do with the "rationing".)

I'm not trying to make this a political thread by mentioning the socialized health care. I just dont quite understand how it's going to work, and the stuff that's being mentioned in the media about it is creeping me out about the whole thing. I'd almost rather pay exorbitant prices to keep my private insurance than have to have my healthcare "rationed" or withheld altogether because of my age or the possible seriousness of my MS.

[oldsteve]

Hi Kitty,

When I was in the "dead zone" between being approved for SSDI and Medicare, I was able to get insurance from the Oregon Medical Insurance Pool, or OMIP.

I believe that most states have similar programs. Maybe there's a 'GMIP' for you. Check it out. It cost me less than what I was paying for COBRA. Of course, the COBRA had to be 'exhausted' before I could apply.

The current system really stinks, doesn't it?

And, my COBRA payments were not as high as yours. My OMIP payments were less than COBRA payments.

I wish you the best!