…about Being Up Close and Personal with Idiocy.

I’m sure you all have heard Obamacare this Obamacare that… well, this is not about that. This is based on personal experience with Connecticut’s wonderful health care system as it is now. My experience. Period.

You have heard about the latest raging issue of gun control… Everyone has their opinion and this is not for that either. I will just say that I never saw a gun shoot anything all by itself… and the horrific tragedies like the one here in CT will not be prevented by this law. The overall Health Care system in this state sucks. The thing that is gaining a bit of momentum is that we should focus not more on guns but more on not making cuts on any type of health care… including mental health. Here is the latest info as of this draft.

Most people do not realize just how assbackward and patient UN friendly the system is. Health Care & Mental Health Care are in a much sadder state than you can imagine… unless you are in the midst of it. I’ll say right here and right now that if anyone were to tell me some of the things I am about to tell you I would give them a look. You know… The Look: eyebrows raised, sideways glance, lips a bit snarled in that wtf-are-you-kidding-me-what-are-you-on-do-you-think-I’m-an-idiot? The Look. You will probably have that look a few times while reading this.

I live it and STILL have a hard time believing the idiocy and racket they have. Do your own research… Check where you get your verifying information. If you go right to Wikipedia… shame on you! Seriously, anyone can edit that. I would never expect anyone to take anything as a fact unless they did their research or had first hand experience.

Even though everything on the internet is true *cough cough*

Oh… wait! That’s not good… a cough! What shall I do? Oh no? Eiw, coughing and wheezing. OMG Now I have a fever… can I go see my doctor? Between coughs I call… No. I cannot be seen there now due to the insurance, once it is out of spenddown status I can make an appointment then, instead they tell me to go to the emergency room in a hushed voice. What? I was able to see them before? Even with no insurance I was able to see the doctor… now? No. (Confused yet? If not you will be appropriately bewildered soon.)

Oh wait!

Depression is setting in because of this and oh no! Wait! Now I’m anxious too…. can I go back and see the therapist I went to when I was “covered”? Why… NO. No no nonoooo. You cannot continue seeing a mental health professional either when you are in  “spenddown” status with the State of CT. Seriously, they cannot see you again once you have another $6K spenddown to meet. (Each person has their own amount to meet.) If you come up with your amount of unpaid medical bills from the earlier 6 month time frame when you were covered and therefore had no unpaid medical bills… then you can see them again. That’s the catch they never tell you until it’s too late. Do you see the problem here? Confused? Don’t worry… it will be clear enough soon… and if you think you just read what you read… you did. It’s a horrible catch 22.

This is the system that instead of fixing it they call it an entitlement and want to make cuts to it. I have made probably close to 100 calls into my case worker since May of 2011. Not once… NOT ONCE have I spoken to any of them. (I get robo letters with new caseworkers names but never once spoke to one…  hmmm are they real or just evil fictional characters?) I would call and get nowhere then call back and try hitting random extensions and sometimes get lucky and get a human… not the human assigned to me though. Usually I end up with a message telling me to please hang up and call back on their new number… and as they read the number off I realize it is the same number I am calling… the circle of psychosis continues… (And still no calls returned… )

So you say “Get to the point already… Do you have insurance or not?!” Do I have insurance? I have no idea… I don’t think so yet I do think so, but I’m not quite sure because I am not able to use it and will get turned away if I try to make a doctor’s appointment because I have it. So, you tell me!

Thank God I do Reiki! Here is a link about Reiki, I picked this site because she is the Reiki Master I am studying under and I would not just post something without being able to back it up. With that and perseverance I am gaining in the run towards my perfect health as well as keeping my head from exploding from all the stress. smdh

When I started looking into applying for help from the state: CT DSS Site info here. Unemployment and other circumstances should surely qualify me to get medical coverage. Hahahaaaa Not even close!!! For me to get coverage through the state I had to be in a program called Spenddown. That program is the curse on low-income families and a way for the state to deny health care, and especially mental health care to low-income individuals. (I bet that part of the program won’t get cut… ) Unless I jump through the hoops that are impossibly tiny I simply must stay sane and healthy. Simple as that. I cannot afford it and morally I cannot and will not use the emergency room for anything other than an actual emergency. Besides, the universe is full of free ‘therapy’. Have Faith… I do.

I was “lucky” enough to end up in the ER in April 2011. A real emergency. (Which is why I needed to get medical coverage.) That was how I was also “lucky” enough to have enough in unpaid/outstanding medical bills to satisfy the state’s criteria for my “excessive” income. Meanwhile this excessive income has led to me being in foreclosure and owing so much that even if I won the lottery I’d still owe. (I needed over $6k of medical bills outstanding within the past 6 months). So, during the months from June to November (which is the 6 month period I was to have the insurance until the next review) I finally was approved for the benefit (or entitlement as the politicians call it) in late August. That meant I had only 10 weeks of coverage out of the 26 week time frame I had to submit that $6k to satisfy. I had no idea that the 10 weeks of coverage I had would not only be the only weeks with coverage but it would also prevent me from getting any further appointments with my regular doctor or brand new therapist! I just talk to Coco now… she’s great therapy!

Imagine my shock when I found out that I would have to come up with another chunk of medical bills… different and new unpaid medical bills to keep the insurance usable for another 6 months! Thank God I had a wonderful group of doctors that helped me race that timeframe to get everything I needed taken care of.. (this was from the er visit back in April 2011!) Cancer runs in my family and took my mom when she was only 42 and let’s just say I needed to make sure I was not following suit. (I am NOT) So God Bless Dr. Simon!!! The world needs not just more doctors like him but more people like him in general. He treated me like a person and not a faceless nameless file!

Before you are “in the system” you can be seen and not turned away from places when you need medical help, however after spenddown and during spenddown? You are a pariah in the healthcare system. I was told flat-out by medical personnel that if i need to be seen, go to the emergency room. I’m talking even if it’s something minor like bronchitis. Go to the emergency room. I’m sorry but I do not feel comfortable using the emergency room for something that I should be able to just call my doctor for… but calling my own doctor only gets me a “sorry… go to the ER” in a quieter than normal voice over the phone. Emergency Rooms should be just that… for emergencies not for the state and doctors offices to use for financial reasons.

Mind you, it has only been the medical personnel that I linked to here that have told me to go to the er if I needed to be seen after the insurance went to spenddown status. I have not gone and wasted the er’s time but instead focused more on my Reiki and natural remedies as well as at least one doctor that is not affiliated with the linked place. Some doctors honor the Hippocratic Oath while others are simply Hypocrites.

So, yes, that is how the wonderful “entitlement” called State Insurance really really helps. *cough cough* oh no… a cough! I think I will have a nice cup of Mullein Tea and do more Reiki… and Just for today I will not worry….

Thanks for reading, even if you think I made it up… I really didn’t and if you looked at the links and did your research you would know I’m telling the truth.

Love,

Alyss