Looking To Move To Madison (extended stay, health insurance, how much)

[SD83]

I'll try to make a long story short.

I'm looking to move to Madison from here in Des Moines, IA. I have no income and no health insurance. The health care I'm receiving at the moment is rapidly deteriorating my condition (fibromyalgia for the curious), and I don't know how much longer I can subsist on this current course.

A few Q's on moving to Madison, and how to go about it:

1 -- I have heard of BadgerCare, Wisconsin's version of Iowa Care. Does Madison have ample facilities for health care, or is it just more of the same? There are nice hospitals in Des Moines, but according to my coverage, I can only go to one. This has done me no favors. Is the Wisconsin state health care program "quick and painless" to apply for, and do you get actual results from it?

2 -- My first instinct is to scout out an extended stay and shack up there for awhile, giving me a chance to learn the city layout and to find a job. Are extended stays all they are cracked up to be? Would they be okay with me staying there for a few months while things fall into place?

3 -- Are there any parts of town I should target? Are there any parts of town I should avoid? My budget is meager, but I do have enough invested into savings to start out with. I can make something like $500/month work, give or take. Would this land me in a bad neighborhood, or can I find something affordable and safe? I would like to find something with utilities included, if possible.


Plenty more questions but I don't want to overshoot my aim here. Thank you so much in advance for any potential answers, I greatly appreciate it. Best wishes to you all!

[Barb1024]

Madison is a great city, and I don't think you can go wrong on the health care. They have a wonderful teaching hospital, and there are several in town.
To help you out, here's the link for BadgerCare Plus. You can click on the Access link and find out right away what help may be available. Good luck!

BadgerCare Plus - Health care for all kids

[katreese]

I am afraid that $500/month for a one-bedroom would land you in an unpleasant neighborhood. If you find something in that range for a studio, it will probably be in a student area downtown. I would suggest a minimum of $700, maybe a little less, for a one-bedroom in a decent neighborhood, unfortunately.

There are quite a few areas to avoid, but that will become apparent as soon as you visit. Looking at places in the price range of at least $650 and above will eliminate them.

[gold*dust1]

Uhh I don't think you are going to find Badger Care to be a cash cow. Better to stay where you are and resolve your problems than to think another state will solve them. That $500 a month will barely get you a room in one of our several beltline, extended stay, transient motels.

[Megan1967]

I helped people apply for Badger Care from Feb until just a month ago and so I know a bit about the qualifications needed.

First, you have to have children. No children, no Badger Care. And yes, for those who who wonder, that does include the farmers and the self employed.

There is an initiative to cover childless people slated for the Spring, but you have to be practically destitute (at least if you live in Madison) to qualify. A single person can't make more than 20K per year. That also speaks to your other issue, housing. I agree with katreese, you won't make it on $500 per month here unless you get a roommate.

And... Some may argue with this, but one of my doctors and I were talking about Badger Care and she said I shouldn't feel too bad about not qualifying because you are limited in the doctors you can see. Her clinic, for example, does not accept new Badger Care clients. If an existing client goes on Badger Care they won't drop them, but Badger Care doesn't pay them their asking rate so they don't accept it. Sucks, but it's reality.

[Megan1967]

Oh, one other thing I thought of... It sound like you wouldn't qualify for Badger Care because of your savings. You won't qualify if you have pretty much any assets. You can have a car, but it can't be worth any substantial amount. I guess the idea is that they want you to spend every last dime on healthcare before you will qualify for assistance. Then, when your savings are depleted and you've lost your home, you can apply for benefits.....