Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Advice! Suddenly no health insurance! Need options!

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Advice! Suddenly no health insurance! Need options!

    Hi, it's Maggie.

    If you don't want to read this whole post, I need to know if anyone is able to give me advice about where I can look for healthcare coverage to start in July of 2015? I have to have health insurance, and I'm very worried about cost and quality of coverage.

    Thank you so much for your help and feedback.

    I feel like a fool because I found out on Thursday, May 28th, that I was only going to be covered for health insurance until the end of the month, which is today, May 31st. It only hit me today how much trouble I am in.

    I had thought that my health insurance was covered by my Long-Term Disability Insurance that I have through my employer (the University). I am so lucky to have it. I receive $2,300 a month after taxes as long as my neurologist finds me too disabled to work--which I am, at least for now, because of my horrible back pain.

    My divorce was finalized and I'm still awaiting the custody decision.

    I was talking to my therapist/legal advocate on Th. about my chronic pain and my appointment at the spine clinic on June 4, and she warned me to doublecheck on my health insurance because she had seen many women end up without health coverage post divorce. And she was right, as she usually is!

    So I called my former employer and I was told that I'd been covered under my ex-husband's policy, and that he'd come in and dropped me on May 13th, and they'd given him the COBRA information, which of course he never shared with me.

    (We co-parent by email because he is so verbally abusive to me, and with email there is a record).

    I frantically called the state COBRA representative. To be covered for June, and to make it to my appointment with the spine specialist, I have to overnight mail her the COBRA paperwork on Monday along with a check for $857.77.

    I need to do this so that I can get to my spine appointment. Last November, I had to break into my retirement (again, I am so lucky to have had retirement to break into) to pay what became $15,000 in legal fees and to pay for my move across the country.

    I've budgeted what money is left to buy a used car--(I gave my ex both cars) and to have emergency savings, especially if I need to pay more money for my attorney (I never know what my ex will do, and I have learned the hard way that with him I need to have legal representation).

    But I just looked into my budget to see if I could afford to keep paying for COBRA, and I can't. This can only be an emergency stop-gap for June.

    So I want to ask what I asked above, which is if anyone can advise me about where to look for health insurance starting July 2015? I am worried about cost and quality of coverage.


    I am anticipating that I will need to move to a cheaper apartment so that I can afford health insurance, but my lease will not be up until mid-August. I hate to move because my daughter thinks of this apartment as her home, but I have to scale back.

    Thank you again, so much, for your help and feedback.

    Maggie

    #2
    Depends on the state that you live in...

    Hi Maggie,

    I know it is different by state, you should be able to find out what is available in your state. You might want to start on your state web site and search for health insurance. I know here in MA there is MassHealth which I believe has a sliding scale depending on how much income you have. So, hopefully you can find an affordable insurance.
    Some how I ended up continuing to cover my X due to some changes in the law here in MA and still cover him even though we have been divorced for about 3 years now.

    Good luck
    Lilac

    Comment


      #3
      I can only tell you to check into these links, National MS Society http://www.nmss.org
      Multiple Sclerosis Association of America http://www.msassociation.org

      I know that the national MS Society will allow you so much, I think it is $500 but I cannot be positive. The MSAA has some different programs ( I don't know what they are for) that you might want to check out. Good luck.
      hunterd/HuntOP/Dave
      volunteer
      MS World
      hunterd@msworld.org
      PPMS DX 2001

      "ADAPT AND OVERCOME" - MY COUSIN

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by Maggie2015 View Post
        Hi, it's Maggie.

        If you don't want to read this whole post, I need to know if anyone is able to give me advice about where I can look for healthcare coverage to start in July of 2015? I have to have health insurance, and I'm very worried about cost and quality of coverage.

        Thank you so much for your help and feedback.

        I feel like a fool because I found out on Thursday, May 28th, that I was only going to be covered for health insurance until the end of the month, which is today, May 31st. It only hit me today how much trouble I am in.

        I had thought that my health insurance was covered by my Long-Term Disability Insurance that I have through my employer (the University). I am so lucky to have it. I receive $2,300 a month after taxes as long as my neurologist finds me too disabled to work--which I am, at least for now, because of my horrible back pain.

        My divorce was finalized and I'm still awaiting the custody decision.

        I was talking to my therapist/legal advocate on Th. about my chronic pain and my appointment at the spine clinic on June 4, and she warned me to doublecheck on my health insurance because she had seen many women end up without health coverage post divorce. And she was right, as she usually is!

        So I called my former employer and I was told that I'd been covered under my ex-husband's policy, and that he'd come in and dropped me on May 13th, and they'd given him the COBRA information, which of course he never shared with me.

        (We co-parent by email because he is so verbally abusive to me, and with email there is a record).

        I frantically called the state COBRA representative. To be covered for June, and to make it to my appointment with the spine specialist, I have to overnight mail her the COBRA paperwork on Monday along with a check for $857.77.

        I need to do this so that I can get to my spine appointment. Last November, I had to break into my retirement (again, I am so lucky to have had retirement to break into) to pay what became $15,000 in legal fees and to pay for my move across the country.

        I've budgeted what money is left to buy a used car--(I gave my ex both cars) and to have emergency savings, especially if I need to pay more money for my attorney (I never know what my ex will do, and I have learned the hard way that with him I need to have legal representation).

        But I just looked into my budget to see if I could afford to keep paying for COBRA, and I can't. This can only be an emergency stop-gap for June.

        So I want to ask what I asked above, which is if anyone can advise me about where to look for health insurance starting July 2015? I am worried about cost and quality of coverage.


        I am anticipating that I will need to move to a cheaper apartment so that I can afford health insurance, but my lease will not be up until mid-August. I hate to move because my daughter thinks of this apartment as her home, but I have to scale back.

        Thank you again, so much, for your help and feedback.

        Maggie
        Maggie, you can get coverage through the federal program. Here is the link...and one of the reasons you can get coverage is loss of coverage - so hopefully this will be cheaper. https://www.healthcare.gov/ Jean
        Diagnosed RRMS 4/7/15, symptoms for 8 months prior. Copaxone 4/27/15

        Comment


          #5
          will look at state of Michigan and NMSS, etc.

          Hi, it's Maggie.

          hunterd, I will look at the NMSS! Thank you!

          And Lilac, thank you for telling me about going to the state website. I am in Michigan, so I will see what options there are here.

          I'm sorry you are still covering your ex.

          But I do wish my ex still had to cover me. From 2006 til my 2013 relapse we each worked the same job for the same hours and the same pay and each paid our expenses equally.

          I gave up everything in the property settlement because my attorney encouraged me to do so to get my daughter back, but it didn't work.

          And because he would no longer help me get care for my MS (I needed him to drive me because we were in such an isolated area), I had to resign my job to move here to Michigan to be close to my family and care.

          I was told my state was a "non-alimony" state, but if he'd kept me on his health insurance that would have helped me--and he does owe me help simply because of how much he took.

          I am realizing my attorney did not make the best decisions, and neither did I. I wish I would have taken steps to protect myself more. All I could think of was how to get my daughter back.

          At least now that he's no longer covering me on his insurance and I have given up the house and the cars there is nothing tying me to him any longer--well, except our daughter.

          But I have to look at positives in this situation. And knowing you are here to answer my questions and knowing there are options out there--those are such positives.

          Thank you!

          Maggie

          Comment


            #6
            INS. Help

            Hi Maggie, my wife lost her insurance when I had to go on disability. We live in the U.P. of Michigan. She was able to buy it through the market place as was already said it goes totally by how much you earn and payout. If your income is low enough then Michigan even has a medicaid plan. You should be able to go to a regular insurance office in your area that sells health insurance and they will do all the work for you. They will know or find out what you qualify for. Your family probable has a insurance company they deal with and it will make it so much easier for you. I hope this helps we just went through the same thing.
            PEACE

            Tortis

            Comment


              #7
              Ugh, Maggie — my heart goes out to you! Stay strong. These kinds of major stresses are not good for your health, but I'm sure you know that

              I would definitely check with healthcare.gov – they can work with you to find a plan you can afford right now, even if it's just catastrophic coverage, and then maybe you can just postpone your doctor visit for a few months until you get settled and can afford a higher tier plan.

              Also consider checking with your doctors' offices about samples, if you need drugs in the meantime – I have gotten a small supply of some very expensive drugs given to me by the doctor's office when they realize the position I'm in. Every little bit helps. Good luck and let us know how everything goes.

              Comment


                #8
                I wouldn't want to make you feel bad, but it sounds like your ex had a better lawyer than you.
                Your attorney should have pushed for your ex to have to pay your COBRA premiums and you could have held out for that with the court and reasonably expected such a settlement given your condition.

                I think with the decision on custody still pending, you might want to consider hiring a different attorney, one with a more aggressive philosophy. You're her MOTHER. Don't let the ex get everything he wants; Don't let him steamroller you because you're out of state, and don't accept being made to pay child support. Demand shared parenting or full custody with child support. Demand it. All they can say is no or maybe or yes. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

                A girl NEEDS her mother as much as if not more than her Dad. Dads are important, but everything should be in the best interests of the child. How does NOT helping you maintain insurance make a better situation for your daughter? If he was already paying on an insurance policy, that is not money he would have missed. Maybe your NEW attorney could make a case for added child support to benefit you for the costs of health insurance on your daughter's behalf, since it is in HER best interests to have a full functional mother.

                Good luck, Maggie. Seriously. With your family's moral support, you can make a well-reasoned argument to support your position to the judge when you file an appeal to the (potentially) unfavorable custody finding.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Healthcare.gov

                  You can still get coverage through healthcare.gov and you may be eligible for a subsidy.

                  Your ex should have to provide insurance for your daughter.

                  What state do you live in?

                  Comment


                    #10
                    oh, thank you

                    Hi, it's Maggie. I wanted to say thank you to those of you who have responded. Jean and poppydarling, thank you for recommending healthcare.gov.

                    Tortis, thank you for sharing your experience. It's nice to see another Michigander! I am glad your wife was able to find reasonable coverage--I hope I am, too.

                    poppydarling, I am still going to the spine appointment tomorrow. I still have some savings left and I went back in to pay the $857.77 for COBRA for this month. They asked for a money order and they asked me to have it overnighted it to the office. I did all that, with my tens blasting because my back hurts so much.

                    I tracked it and it arrived, and then I got a call today from the woman in charge of my case and she said their office only checks the mail once a day at 6:30 am and so they didn't have it.

                    So they won't be able to process it until tomorrow morning, and they are 2 hours behind me in Michigan, so it won't be until my exact moment my appointment happens that I'll be processed and have a new ID. And that's if they don't mess it up!

                    It's cutting it very close. Maybe the doctor's office will be merciful. I've been to the Neuroscience Center before, since I moved here for MS care in July 2014, just not the spine clinic.

                    So I filled out all the paperwork and I'm ready to go tomorrow morning, and I'm trying not to get upset. I just can't believe that my appointment will be canceled when I have had this terrible back pain for so long without any solutions or relief. This is the closest I've come yet to a place where I think I could actually get some help. Please hope with me that I will!

                    Badattitude, I couldn't have said it better myself. In fact, I did say it, over and over, to my attorney--to take a more aggressive approach to custody, that is. I did not push her to protect me in relation to the financial issues because I was so focused on custody.

                    But now that it's over (the divorce) I'm fully realizing the impact of having given up all "marital" property, the money, and, unbeknownst to me, the health insurance, and it's truly frightening.

                    And sad. Badattitude, thank you for listening and for your advice. I wish I had the money for a new attorney but I don't--I've already spent $15,000+ for the trial and for all the terrible things that happened along the way with my ex-husband (it's a long story). I am broke.

                    And still sad. I have to believe that soon I'll be out of horrible pain (the back pain) and I'll have my daughter back to me where she belongs, because she does belong with me, despite MS.

                    Thank you for believing in me and for helping me.

                    Maggie

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Sounds like similar X's

                      Hi Maggie,

                      Sounds like we might have similar X's. Mine never has my kids best interest only his. I did give up a lot too in hopes of more custody and control over my kids lives. I did get physical custody, but have shared legal custody. Yet still having issues with having to deal with an X with borderline personality disorder and a huge side of narcissism He has not been diagnosed, but after reading up on it and having been with him for nearly 20 years I know that is what he is.

                      A normal person would behave differently in a divorce, but someone with personality issues does not and not all lawyers get that.

                      I hope you are able to get relief for your pain, get covered by health insurance, and get full custody of your girl!

                      What helps me is I come up with something that will make me laugh instead of getting all worked up when thinking of my X. My latest is baggy grumpy old troll Or not even a fit meal for a dung beetle


                      best wishes !
                      Last edited by Seasha; 06-07-2015, 08:51 PM.
                      Lilac

                      Comment


                        #12
                        MS and custody

                        Lilac, your post brought tears to my eyes because you picked up on something that I’d kept myself from speaking about. Thank you.

                        My ex was abusive—he became so in the last 2 years of our marriage, though looking back now I know the emotional abuse started right away (kind of like after an MS diagnosis realizing in retrospect you had symptoms years before).

                        But after I left him with my daughter and moved to Michigan to get care for my MS and family support, I started seeing a therapist and began to get clarity.

                        My therapist identified him as a narcissistic abuser. I was having so much difficulty co-parenting with him, communicating with my attorney about him (what he’d done in the past, what he was doing in the present, what I knew he was likely to do in the future), and, consequently, preparing for trial.

                        So I got two books from amazon.com, one by Tina Swithin called Divorcing a Narcissist, and one by Bill Eddy about divorcing someone with a personality disorder, and it became SO CLEAR that my ex was indeed a narcissist and/or suffered from another personality disorder.

                        Unfortunately, my attorney did not, as you said, “get that,” because these types of abusers are excellent at concealing who they are and their true motives.

                        That’s how they get where they want to be, and everything is about getting where they want to be.

                        Thank you SO much for your good wishes about getting relief from my pain, health insurance, and custody of my girl. (((HUG)))

                        I want to say to everyone—I know this my post is off the original topic of health insurance.

                        But I think it’s worthwhile to for people with MS to pay attention to issues of divorce and custody
                        because I have learned the hard way that MS, though it never prevented me in the real world from being the primary caregiver for my daughter, or for being the biggest, most consistent, stable, and loving preIsence in her life, is a different matter in a court of law. It is considered a liability.

                        Maggie

                        Comment

                        Working...
                        X