THIS is the goverment's idea of good healthcare coverage?!!! (Bitchfest)

The BBQ Pit
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This is my first rant, but I’m mad enough to actually start one. Please,forgive me if I am duplicating an older thread. Just to make this pit worthy… GODDAMED FUCKING HELL!!! SHIT! FUCK! BLOOD! GUTS! There,does that qualify this thread for the pit?

To understand my position,you need to know several things about me. First,I REALLY need vision correction. I have severe astigmatism,and am very near sighted. The vision in my right eye is 20/200 and the vision in my left eye is 20/400. The good news is, it can be corrected. The better news is, it corrects to 20/25.

Secondly,I have horrid year-round allergies. I’m constantly having problems with ear infections,upper respiratory infections,and bronchitis because of this. In order to try to stay healthy, I need anti-histamines every day,and decongestant. I take 24 hour Claritin, and generic Sudafed to be most cost effective. If I cannot keep my sinuses dried out, an infection will develop, and I’ll need anti-biotics again. I also have seizures, am bi-polar, and arthiritc.

Lastly, I’m disabled. I cannot work at all. I have to live on $550 a month. This is supposed to buy my medicines, hygine needs, food, rent, utilities etc. I borrow a computer, and give a little money towards the internet bill for the privilege. I’m not complaining about the amount I get per month, I’m actually glad to have any money at all. My husband is a student, working towards a career, and so someday I know this situation will change. (He’s 19.)

My medical coverage comes from SRS. (Medicaid) This fine institution recently stopped paying for eye exams, and eyeglasses. Now I will have to budget, and save for months in order to have enough money for an eye exam, and subsequent eye glasses.

They also don’t cover over the counter drugs, and Claritin’s patent ran out a couple of months ago. It’s now an over the counter drug. This is the one anti-histamine that had consistently given me decent results, and now I’ve got to change to another. I realize that it’s the drug industry, and questionable FDA policies at fault for this. I don’t have a problem with the FDA in general, but it seems they let the drug industrie’s lobbyists bend their ears too much IMO.

I would have been outraged about these things for a while, then shrugged and gone on with my life if it hadn’t been for the insert that came with my medical card.

Starting last month, Medicaid will now pay for diapers for consumers age 6 through 20! What the hell?!!! They will pay for diapers, but not eyeglasses? What about people like me, who really NEED vision correction? I’m glad that the burden of such an obviously high expense has been lifted from these families, my question is: “Why did they have to take from one area to give to another?”

Why is it, that they can pay for something like diapers/breifs but not vision correction? They only paid for an eye exam and glasses every four years, instead of every year as is actually needed. Yet, they are now paying a monthly expense that will go on for years?

This is a mockery! A pathetic attempt at a seeming of health care provision. It’s not a proper system at all, because it can’t even provide the spectrum of basic needs. It’s “Robbing Peter to pay Paul” and hoping it won’t get caught. Why can’t they understand that spending a little more money now, will end up saving a lot later on? Preventative medicine works.

What the hell am I going to do now? I already use generic products. I also buy bulk foods, and cook meals from scratch. (I make lots of a very cheap dish, and freeze some of it, then have leftovers later in the week.) I live dirt cheap as it is. How am I going to budget the money to not only get an eye examination, but also pay for the glasses? I’m almost resigned to the fact that I’m just going to have to take another anti-histamine and suffer. I can’t afford to buy Claritin over the counter. It’s going to end up costing Medicaid more in the end though, because I’m likely to end up with an infection of some kind and they will end up having to pay for my doctor’s visit, as well as anti-biotics.

What the hell were they thinking?!!! :mad:

{Insert your healthcare provider woes here…}

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I’m sorry all this is happening to you :frowning: Unfortunately it seems that the needs of disabled adults aren’t as “glamorous” in the public eye as the needs (or greed, more usually) of parents and children. Having children is a choice- being disabled and sick is not a choice. I wish the government would get that into their thick skulls!

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SweetLucy The diapers are for people 6-20 years old who need them, not babies. Most of the people 6-20 who need diapers are probably disabled in some way, wouldn’t you think?

Zabali I’m sorry for your troubles. The whole medicaid system sucks. :frowning:

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This might help you just a tiny bit: My pharmacist said that a perscription for Loratadine (very much like Claratin – if not the same) is cheaper than buying the over the counter form of Claratin. Consider asking your doctor for a prescription.

Why are you on Medicaid instead of Medicare? Have you filed for Social Security Disability? They are very careful about what they will approve but the bi-polar disorder can be very debilitating. I had to leave teaching because of depression and I received Social Security.

Sometimes hospitals have people whose job it is to assist people in applying for Medicaid and Medicare. You might try finding one of them to help you.

I’m not sure about this, BUT: While medicaid won’t pay for you to see an optomitrist, if might pay for you to see an ophthalmologist – an M.D. for eye diseases. Why not call an ophthalmologist and ask if Medicaid pays. I doubt that it will pay for your glasses though. If you can find some way to spread the payments out, that might help.

There may also be a State Department of Vocational Rehabilitation that can offer suggestions. They were very helpful to me in getting through school. (I also have seriously impaired vision.)

I understand some of your woes. The elderly do not get any relief with prescriptions. That is outrageous – especially with the high prices for meds. Some people get their medications in Canada which is much less expensive.

Please understand that I am not a doctor or an expert on any of this.

Bless you!

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USA? Public health care? My most sincere condolances.

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Also, it is perfectly legal, and IIRC usually covered, for a doctor to prescribe an OTC medication when it is specific to the needs of the patient. My father was in this boat, and his doctor prescribed something he needed which he could have simply gone into the store and bought – the purposes being to make the item qualify for Medicare and (in New York) to exempt it from sales tax, a not inconsiderable fringe benefit. You might check with your allergy doctor and a Medicaid benefits administratorl to see if, given that Claritin is a specific for your condition, a prescription would be appropriate and covered.

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I’m on SSI,(but am considered “permanently disabled” go figure) because I can’t get Social Security due to the fact that I’ve never really held a job in my life. I went through the disability application process and they found that I am,indeed disabled,just ineligible for Social Security.

I had a summer job in my small town’s library through J.T.P.A. I was the drudge, dusting books, checking in books, and keeping the children’s section in order. I also worked in telemarket research during my senior year to pay for the prom. Those are the only jobs I’ve held, so I don’t have enough deductions/time to get Social Security.

In the state of Kansas, the insurance provider for SSI recipients is Health Wave/Health Connect a.k.a. Medicaid.

I privately hold the hope that someday I may be well enough to do some sort of job. I’m not well enough to do it now though. I’d love to be able to teach art therapy to disabled children, and help them find a voice. I don’t even have the education necessary for that though. I can’t focus enough to even attend college classes yet. Someday…maybe…I hope. It gives me a glimmer, and cuts down on the anguish. I hate feeling useless.

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** Polycarp ** It’s covered for a little while longer, but only for those patients who had a prescription before it went over the counter. Once the prescriptions run out, they apparently cannot be renewed. I had an argument with my pharmicist just today, because she said that it wasn’t covered. I’m on my last refill. As far as I know, the loophole you mentioned has been cut in this state.

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Um, because the OP is not elderly. I believe that only those over a certain age qualify for Medicare?

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Age is a part of it, but it’s also the amount of years you have worked before being declared disabled. I worked less than 2 years. I can’t draw my Social Security benefits, because they are pretty much non-existent. I didn’t work long enough, and contribute enough money to the pool to qualify for drawing from it.

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Zabali, if you’re spending a lot of time online, you could try one of those pay-per-hour-while-you’re-surfing type of programs. You get extra payouts for people who are in the levels below; if you can get enough people to help you out with that, you can get a little bit of extra money.

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Guin, medicare is often made available to people younger than 65 with certain disabilities who meet other requirements

This site delineates who’s eligible.

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From what I’ve observed, those programs are scams. Not only that, but any amount that comes in besides my disability payments often counts against me and gets deducted. I must report ALL money that comes in, including birthday checks.

We just have to hang in there, until my husband is done with school and finishes trade school. He’s doing correspondence courses to get his high school diploma. (This is a slow process, but worth it.) The school system here is terrible, he abadoned it with his mother’s blessings. She has intimate knowledge of the town’s school system too.

This is a good thing, he’s getting a better education this way. He wants to go into welding, a good choice for this area. My situation will get better, but what about all those others who really have no hope, and have similar needs?

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If you are on Social Security disability for two years, they will enroll you in Medicare. Shocked the crap out of me when I got my Medicare card at the ripe old age of twenty.

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Most pharmaceutical companies in the US have programs in place for supplying their products for free to those truly in need. There are many sites about this such as http://www.needymeds.com/applications.html
and http://www.lorenbennett.org/fadvocate.htm

I know folks who get psych meds through this system, it seems to work and is worth a try.

I am on a disability pension here and more and more drugs I need are being taken off prescription and sold over the counter. I do not pay more than $3.70 for a prescription if I take the generic, to suddenly have to pay up to $20 on some things is forcing me to reprioritise considerably. Quality of life seems to be left out of the equation somehow.

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With regards to your need for glasses, contact your nearest Society for the Blind or VOSH organization. I know VOSH is known for it’s world relief, but they also do local work. Either one should be able to assist you in finding opthalmic care and glasses based on your income.

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How do your glasses cost?

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How much do your glasses cost?

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My lenses cost $50 each minimum, if I remember correctly. Because of the astigmatism, and the fact that I need lightweight material to have any comfort wearing them at all. They are quite thick. If I’m lucky, frames are less than $100. I don’t know how much the eye doctor here charges for an eye exam,I don’t remember. My eyeglasses are 3 years old, and I’m noticing I need new ones.

I’ll look into those organizations, thanks for telling me about them. Maybe that other anti-histamine will work, and I’ll be able to continue getting it under a prescription. I’ll make a doctor’s appointment Monday, and see what we can work out.

Maybe the Lion’s Club would help with the cost of eyeglasses? Does anyone know? I know they helped my mom get me eyeglasses when I was a kid. The cost then was prohibitive because I went through a period of needing bi-focals to help train my lazy eyes.

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Hmmm, I didn’t add, that I’ve found it better to pay more than $100 for frames. The ones that cost less than $100 are often used, and if they are new, aren’t very sturdy and need repairs soon after I buy them. That’s what happened with the pair I’m wearing now. The right lens FELL OUT and shattered because the frames weren’t sturdy enough to hold them in.