Prayer Request

[Aunty Jane]

In the USA, people on low income and modest assets can get on Medi-Cal or Medicaid. This pays for all of their medical bills. California even puts illegal migrants on Medi-Cal. I think other States give illegals free medical, too.

Senior Citizens are on Medicare. I have original Medicare because I can use any doctor and original Medicare pays 80% of my medical bills. Some seniors choose other plans and I think they get more coverage through HMOs.

I have a separate Medicare prescription drug plan with a very reasonable premium....forty cents a month which shocked me, it was so low. This coming year it went up several dollars so I will change plans to one being under two dollars a month. This year when I picked up my eye drops and thyroid pills, I didn't get charged anything.

If a person is younger but cannot work due to permanent disability, they apply for Social Security Disability. This gives them a monthly income. After a while they get put onto Medicare. If low income, they also get put on Medi-Cal or Medicaid so don't pay any medical bills.

If a working person is temporary disabled, they apply for State Disability which lasts only so long. If the disability becomes permanent, they then apply for Social Security Disability.

Also, I understand the State will pay a family member to care for a homebound loved one...if they all are on limited income, assets.

Thank you…have these things been introduced in recent times, as the people I spoke to about it some time back were very deprived of help and services. Drugs were very expensive as were doctor’s consultations.
I must say that the medical profession appears to be getting incredibly greedy with their fees and charges these days.…but I guess hefty insurances for malpractice might have something to do with this. Seems people sue at the drop of a hat for some reason….

 

[Debp]

Thank you…have these things been introduced in recent times, as the people I spoke to about it some time back were very deprived of help and services. Drugs were very expensive as were doctor’s consultations.
I must say that the medical profession appears to be getting incredibly greedy with their fees and charges these days.…but I guess hefty insurances for malpractice might have something to do with this. Seems people sue at the drop of a hat for some reason….

Everything I mentioned has been in force for a very long time!

The only newer thing is the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan. It came about in 2003 and was to provide lower drug costs.

 

[RLT63]

Surgery has been moved to November 1st

 

[RLT63]

What happens to you American folk when you can’t work and you lose your insurance?
Are you left without help?
I am a member of the Huntington’s Disease community online and I am appalled to find that there is little help for the carers of Huntington’s patients. Some have to work to pay their bills, which means leaving a very disabled person at home to fend for themselves, whilst their spouse has to leave to go to work. They are prone to falls and choking, so no one would know what they are coming home to.

People with money can get whatever they are willing to pay for, but those with limited funds, it seems are thrown to the wolves.

That would not happen in Australia. All workers pay into a “Medicare levy” whereby all who need medical help and who cannot pay, can access it free of charge, using this fund.

We also have an NHS which provides medication at an affordable price. I have heard of people in the US having to sell their homes to pay for medical treatment....and if the treatment is unsuccessful, they die penniless with nothing to leave their children for lifetime of hard work. So unfair to reward a wealthy system by penalising the poor.

Carers are provided with a pension, which is sufficient to cover their basic needs so that they don’t have to leave a disabled person at home alone.

I have never seen such a heartless system in my life.....no money, no treatment or help? So sad....you can pay thousands of dollars (even hundreds of thousands) for treatments that have a poor success rate, but they won’t fund alternative treatments that have proven successful in other countries. The almighty dollar rules the world....(1 Tim 6:9-10)

I have insurance while I'm on FMLA, Family and Medical Leave Act, it protects my job for 12 weeks and I have short term disability insurance that I will use when my sick time and paid time off run out.
But the recovery time for the surgery is going to put me past the 12 weeks so I don't know what will happen with my job.
If the surgery doesn't fix the problem I will have to get a lawyer and apply for disability.
I'm looking into going to school online to learn cybersecurity if this happens.
I'm already having to take some out of my retirement because disability only pays 60% of your salary.

 

[Aunty Jane]

I have insurance while I'm on FMLA, Family and Medical Leave Act, it protects my job for 12 weeks and I have short term disability insurance that I will use when my sick time and paid time off run out.
But the recovery time for the surgery is going to put me past the 12 weeks so I don't know what will happen with my job.
If the surgery doesn't fix the problem I will have to get a lawyer and apply for disability.
I'm looking into going to school online to learn cybersecurity if this happens.
I'm already having to take some out of my retirement because disability only pays 60% of your salary.

I hope it all works out for you….having medical problems is bad enough without having to worry about your livelihood. It’s good that you have a backup plan….

 

[RLT63]

I hope it all works out for you….having medical problems is bad enough without having to worry about your livelihood. It’s good that you have a backup plan….

It's a lot of uncertainty and it's hard not to worry but worrying won't help. At night when I'm laying down trying to go to sleep anxiety tries to set in.
It's in God's hands. I went through something similar in 2008, lost my job and my career but I made it through.
This just came at the worst time I have a job I love that pays well and when I got promoted to supervisor the pain got exponentially worse.
I have to believe it will all work out though

 

[Debp]

It's a lot of uncertainty and it's hard not to worry but worrying won't help. At night when I'm laying down trying to go to sleep anxiety tries to set in.
It's in God's hands. I went through something similar in 2008, lost my job and my career but I made it through.
This just came at the worst time I have a job I love that pays well and when I got promoted to supervisor the pain got exponentially worse.
I have to believe it will all work out though

If I start to get anxiety, I meditate on some favorite Scriptures that comfort me.

I pray your workplace might keep your job open for you.

 

[RLT63]

If I start to get anxiety, I meditate on some favorite Scriptures that comfort me.

I pray your workplace might keep your job open for you.

Thank you. I appreciate the prayers I believe in them.
What I usually do is ask "Is this thought helpful?" and if it's not I try to put it out of mind

 

[RLT63]

The surgery has been postponed again. The surgeon broke his leg

 

[Aunty Jane]

The surgery has been postponed again. The surgeon broke his leg

What??? Another setback….so sorry to hear that.
Are there no other surgeons who can step in and take over his patients? I guess the waiting list is long for all of them….. It is here too. I have to wait a whole year for cataract surgery. I could get it done next week if I had the funds to pay for it…..but Medicare is free (paid with our taxes) and we pay with time, not money.

 

[RLT63]

What??? Another setback….so sorry to hear that.
Are there no other surgeons who can step in and take over his patients? I guess the waiting list is long for all of them….. It is here too. I have to wait a whole year for cataract surgery. I could get it done next week if I had the funds to pay for it…..but Medicare is free (paid with our taxes) and we pay with time, not money.

I don't know what their plan is yet., I am having problems with my insurance company and I haven't gotten short term disability even though I have been out of work for a month. I took money out of my retirement to get by

 

[Aunty Jane]

I don't know what their plan is yet., I am having problems with my insurance company and I haven't gotten short term disability even though I have been out of work for a month. I took money out of my retirement to get by

It’s a very money driven system…..and greed just grows because humans are never satisfied with what they have…..this world tells us that we need more.…always more. Robbing Peter to pay Paul has become a common issue. Money doesn’t go far these days.

I didn’t know you needed a lawyer to get disability payments in the US.…another very greedy profession that feeds on people’s misfortune. In Australia, we just need a doctor’s recommendation submitted to Medicare to receive a disability pension. It takes some weeks to process however, but we don’t have the population that you have.

It’s the uncertainty that gets to you. I hope you (and your doctor) recover well when you finally have your surgery.

 

[RLT63]

It’s a very money driven system…..and greed just grows because humans are never satisfied with what they have…..this world tells us that we need more.…always more. Robbing Peter to pay Paul has become a common issue. Money doesn’t go far these days.

I didn’t know you needed a lawyer to get disability payments in the US.…another very greedy profession that feeds on people’s misfortune. In Australia, we just need a doctor’s recommendation submitted to Medicare to receive a disability pension. It takes some weeks to process however, but we don’t have the population that you have.

It’s the uncertainty that gets to you. I hope you (and your doctor) recover well when you finally have your surgery.

Thanks. Yes to get SSI disability you most likely need a lawyer and it's a slow process

 

[Aunty Jane]

Thanks. Yes to get SSI disability you most likely need a lawyer and it's a slow process

Sad isn’t it, when you have worked and paid taxes all your life….they can demand that you pay them right now, but they can’t pay you back anything without a struggle. Do they care? The system is rigged always to benefit the wrong people….

 

[Debp]

didn’t know you needed a lawyer to get disability payments in the US.

You usually need a lawyer to get on permanent disability. There are so many people that try to scam the system so that's why it's more difficult to get on permanent Social Security Disability.

You can get on temporary State Disability with no problems.

 

[RLT63]

You usually need a lawyer to get on permanent disability. There are so many people that try to scam the system so that's why it's more difficult to get on permanent Social Security Disability.

You can get on temporary State Disability with no problems.

I'm trying to get it from the insurance company that I pay premiums to and I am having problems

 

[Debp]

I'm trying to get it from the insurance company that I pay premiums to and I am having problems

Are you on State Disability? That's what you pay into as you work.

 

[Aunty Jane]

I'm trying to get it from the insurance company that I pay premiums to and I am having problems

As @Debp has said, scammers are the reason why there is so many hoops to jump through…..these low lifes make it hard for the genuine ones to get the help they need.
I think it’s the same reason that there are so many speed humps in car parks because of the irresponsible idiots, but no one thinks of those who hurt every time they have to negotiate one of those things….

 

[RLT63]

Are you on State Disability? That's what you pay into as you work.

No, the plan was for the surgery to fix the problem and I would only need short term disability from my insurance

 

[RLT63]

I have been referred to another surgeon. I have an appointment on December 10th. I don’t know how long it will take to schedule the surgery.
I have been approved for short term disability from 9/25 to 11/7. That’s only 6 weeks though, short term disability is supposed to cover 12 weeks.
I emailed them and asked if another claim will start on 11/7.
I have applied for some work from home jobs and have an interview today. If I’m sitting home doing nothing this will give me something to do and I might make some money.
I took enough out of retirement to last 5 months