[karibear]

Originally Posted by mkfarnam

You should call your local SS office and see if you qualify for Medicare or Medicaid, you probably do.

It's dicey. Severe RA can and does qualify as a disability for SocSec Disability with no age restriction - sometimes. However, there is a 2 year gap - their 'waiting period' - before Medicare actually takes effect, then a person has to choose a prescription supplement provider. I'm kind of in the middle, one doc says I have RA and that's the cause of my vision problems, another one says I don't, I have something else but he doesn't know what. So I've had a variety of tests and the only things any of them agree on is that [a] I can't see, [b] I have severe osteoarthritis, [c] I have chronic fatigue that isn't related to leukemia [one of the many tests], and [d] I have severe anemia. And other things, as well. Everything hit at pretty much the same time within the same year. And it's basically all stuff that has to be controlled by lifestyle and diet, not meds.

But I also had a neighbor for awhile in AK who had severe RA, and SocSec kept turning her down. Her husband finally hired a lawyer, at a cost of nearly 20K, and they finally won - the judge said that based on her medical records she should have been on disability for nearly 10 years, and he raked the SocSec people over the coals for it. There was at least one other in the same town who also had really severe RA complete with joint fusions, but still managed to work at a job that had been created for her, and SocSec wouldn't even consider her, no matter what.

The tricky part is getting approved by SocSec in the first place. It took me 2 appeals, one to get approved, one to get me retroactively approved to my initial application. The people who actually work for SocSec are masters of making a person feel like an ungrateful beggar - never mind that I paid into the fund for well over 40 years before applying - what I got was a snippy clerk who said "I know all about people like you - you just want a regular check from the government." I asked why on earth any sane person would willingly take a 2/3 cut in income just to get a regular check instead of continuing in the public workforce, and she just repeated what she'd said before. That's when I got a lawyer. When I finally did get approved, it wasn't because of any of my medical issues, but because I was 'clinically depressed!' Gee, I wonder what gave them that idea... But I also have to say that being angry and proactive is a lot more productive than sitting around having a pity party all alone.

I can also sympathize with the health/life insurance thing. When I tried applying for them for my husband, I couldn't get either one. The medical wasn't an issue, since he qualified for medicaid, but absolutely no one would write a life insurance policy on him. Even the one company that advertises nationally that they take everyone, no questions asked, couldn't - WA is the one state in the country they don't serve. There are state health insurance programs, but considering how rarely I see a doctor, it's not worth it for me to bother with them. I rely on Medicare, and if that doesn't cover what I need, I just pay the difference. It's a lot cheaper that way.

[peggydavis]

Jess, I agree with Synopsis. The reason we have these programs is to help those who need help. One of my sisters has to take a very expensive medication. She went and applied for help and she gets her medication at a very discounted price. She is not such a poor person, either.

Medical costs and health insurance are just ridiculous these days.

[Jess5]

I have the paperwork because I was talked into it before, but chickened out because I didn't want to be treated like karibear described. The paperwork is daunting, on its own. Peggy, I wanted to ask you if you have picked out a book for the book club? I got 1000 Splendid Suns from the library.

Also, my dr. got me into a clinical trial because with all the meds I take, my husband still had to massage my legs before I could get up, and I would wake myself (and everyone else) screaming in pain. It was hard getting to the bathroom during the night. Anyway, after I started this infusion, I have been so much better. The trial ended November before last, but,since its not available to the public yet, they still give it to me for free! I have to buy everything else, of course, but this is a huge savings. Its a new drug called MRA, and its wonderful for RA. The only thing is,I'm scared to death to see how much it will cost because the Remicade infusions are every 8 weeks and they cost, get this, $6,000.00! That should not be allowed! My infusion is every 4 weeks,so maybe it will only cost $3,000.00! YIKES!
I don't even know if my insurance will pay it (they don't pay on my lab work, which is hundreds of $$$$$.) I really appreciate that my specialist put me in this clinical. Its also hard to find an RA specialist, and people come from all over to the place where I go. The Orthopedic Institute, if anyone needs a specialist.

[peggydavis]

Thanks for reminding me, Jess. I have ordered a Thousand Splendid Suns. I have already read Water for Elephants, so I will participate in that too.

Remind me again, if you don't mind, when the threads go up. Thanks!

Karibear, that story about the snippy clerk at SS just makes me mad. She gets a check from the govt. too. Some years ago I decided I refuse to let people put me down like that anymore. I have paid in to that program for many years, it is not a welfare program!

[karibear]

Originally Posted by peggydavis

Thanks for reminding me, Jess. I have ordered a Thousand Splendid Suns. I have already read Water for Elephants, so I will participate in that too.

Remind me again, if you don't mind, when the threads go up. Thanks!

Karibear, that story about the snippy clerk at SS just makes me mad. She gets a check from the govt. too. Some years ago I decided I refuse to let people put me down like that anymore. I have paid in to that program for many years, it is not a welfare program!

It was enlightening, to say the least. When I was still working in voc rehab, we required all our clients to apply for any and all benefits before we could help them. Some, of course, were referred by their docs or social services, so they already had a head start. But even so, I can't begin to count how many times I had to give pep talks to people, telling them the benefits weren't 'free' and they had to work for them - it was just that the work was different, it was filling out paperwork and dealing with bureaucrats instead of fishing or whatever [usually it was some kind of physical labor], and they should look at paperwork as a different kind of ditch-digging: work was work. Then I got caught up in it from the other side, and since the social service people in small town AK were generally a great bunch of people, it was a major shock for me. Especially since the ones here in WA, not even counting the SocSec people, aren't particularly nice or helpful.

As for SocSec, my lawyer got even for me.

[peggydavis]

I guess the social service people get cynical because there are too many people who cheat about benefits. That doesn't mean all people are cheaters, and they need to realize that. Some of them are just bullies, who get into a position of power and then use it.

[karibear]

Originally Posted by peggydavis

I guess the social service people get cynical because there are too many people who cheat about benefits. That doesn't mean all people are cheaters, and they need to realize that. Some of them are just bullies, who get into a position of power and then use it.

Some definitely are holier-than-thou bullies. What I'm looking forward to with some interest is seeing what happens with the cap on welfare. Some of the second generation welfare families are going to get a real shock, when they are faced with the fact that their benefits have run out and they'll have to actually work for a living - especially the ones who don't know how to do anything, who have looked on welfare as their 'job.' The ones I feel sorry for are the grandparents who are raising a 3rd generation, for whatever reason. The thought of being forced to look for a job in one's 60s or 70s is daunting, to say the least. And the welfare cap doesn't allow for any exceptions, unless I've missed something in the past year or so.

[mkfarnam]

Social Security has a program called "Ticket to Work". Ticket to Work: Offsite Resource ........... Ticket to Work: Ticket to Work which will help anyone on SS that wants to go back to work. Including retraining and rehabilitation. Some people have been on SS for so long they depend on the check, but there' a safety net for that.


I just heard the other day that SSI checks will soon be changed over to debit cards.

[colleeng47]

Originally Posted by karibear

Some definitely are holier-than-thou bullies. What I'm looking forward to with some interest is seeing what happens with the cap on welfare. Some of the second generation welfare families are going to get a real shock, when they are faced with the fact that their benefits have run out and they'll have to actually work for a living - especially the ones who don't know how to do anything, who have looked on welfare as their 'job.' The ones I feel sorry for are the grandparents who are raising a 3rd generation, for whatever reason. The thought of being forced to look for a job in one's 60s or 70s is daunting, to say the least. And the welfare cap doesn't allow for any exceptions, unless I've missed something in the past year or so.

what do you mean by "welfare cap". I thought welfare went under a complete overhaul several years ago. is this something new?

[karibear]

Originally Posted by colleeng47

what do you mean by "welfare cap". I thought welfare went under a complete overhaul several years ago. is this something new?

Part of the overhaul was a cap on how long people could get it. I think the maximum was 5 years from the time the overhaul took effect.