Insurance and Health Care Reform Support Group
This community deals with health insurance issues and major health care policy creation or changes (for the most part, governmental policy). Communicate your ideas, problems, solutions, and experiences here.
I am currently covered by Mainecare, because I have been out of work for 3 years. I have been trying to start a business, because I cannot find a job, and have been selling things on Ebay, but after an entire year, my adventure into ebay has only managed to pay for itself, and doesn't really help our economy much.
I was on cash assistance, food stamps, and Mainecare because of my poverty, however, managed to get a part time job at minimum wage at a new store that was opening locally. I was told that it was seasonal and alot of people would only have the job for a few weeks, and definately part time.
As required, I reported the hiring to my case worker, and called in my hours to her after my first week. Because the store was setting up, the first week I had 19.5 hours. The case worker used this as my standard weekly salary, and dropped me off cash assistance and food stamps.
When I got home from my uncle's funeral, there was a letter from the case worker informing me that I was being reviewed for eligibility for Mainecare as well, and if I loose the Mainecare, I have to discontinue both my counseling and my daughter's counseling, as I will not be able to afford it. Having lost the cash benefits and food stamps, I have no idea how I am going to survive the winter, as the job is now a 5 hour a week job, which will only pay me about $30 per week, and the only other income I have is a check from the state for my daughter, whom I adopted.
I fail to understand how they can justify cutting me off based upon a 5 hour per week minimum wage job. I have been looking for a real, full time job for 3 years, but there are relatively no jobs I truely qualify for within 50 miles of me. I am 52 years old and have a special needs child who is 10.
Every person in this country should be able to get the medical help that they need and so many of us cannot. If they cut the Mainecare benefits, I will not even be able to get my prescriptions filled, and without my prescription, I seriously doubt that I could work a job were there one out there for me. Not having coverage will impact my ability to fuction, and if we had National Health Care this would not be the case.
Medicine should not be a business, but a service. It is an essential service, but in this country is only available to those that can afford it.
I was on cash assistance, food stamps, and Mainecare because of my poverty, however, managed to get a part time job at minimum wage at a new store that was opening locally. I was told that it was seasonal and alot of people would only have the job for a few weeks, and definately part time.
As required, I reported the hiring to my case worker, and called in my hours to her after my first week. Because the store was setting up, the first week I had 19.5 hours. The case worker used this as my standard weekly salary, and dropped me off cash assistance and food stamps.
When I got home from my uncle's funeral, there was a letter from the case worker informing me that I was being reviewed for eligibility for Mainecare as well, and if I loose the Mainecare, I have to discontinue both my counseling and my daughter's counseling, as I will not be able to afford it. Having lost the cash benefits and food stamps, I have no idea how I am going to survive the winter, as the job is now a 5 hour a week job, which will only pay me about $30 per week, and the only other income I have is a check from the state for my daughter, whom I adopted.
I fail to understand how they can justify cutting me off based upon a 5 hour per week minimum wage job. I have been looking for a real, full time job for 3 years, but there are relatively no jobs I truely qualify for within 50 miles of me. I am 52 years old and have a special needs child who is 10.
Every person in this country should be able to get the medical help that they need and so many of us cannot. If they cut the Mainecare benefits, I will not even be able to get my prescriptions filled, and without my prescription, I seriously doubt that I could work a job were there one out there for me. Not having coverage will impact my ability to fuction, and if we had National Health Care this would not be the case.
Medicine should not be a business, but a service. It is an essential service, but in this country is only available to those that can afford it.
All persons should have medical care available to them - without the risks currently involved. When you become disabled, especially, you risk loosing everything that you have worked for for your entire life with his POS system in place.
Other countries around the world have National Health Care, and it works better in that each person can get medical care when they need it no matter what their income is or who they are.
How many people in this country die, or live with treatable conditions, because they cannot afford the extortionary prices charged for services?
I want to work - I've been looking for a job for 3 years. At 52 my chances of finding a job are about even with my chances of finding a man - I have a better chance of being hit by a bus (and there is no bus service here).
Should my condition advance to the point where I can no longer work, then I will have to go the disability route, as well, and I fear the struggle.
The statistic for US healthcare doesn't look that good, with survival rates for illness much less than countries with a National Health care in place. We just have a few high tech treatments that save a few and are so news coverable :-(
That brings an additional few to America for advanced treatment.
In many, many cases in America, individuals who become ill cannot work, therefore they cannot get medical coverage, therefore they cannot get treatment, therefore they die, usually after bankruptsy, homelessness, etc.
We need Universal Health Care! We need to take healthcare out of the business sector!
What I would like to know is why do you keep electing Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snow? They are both Republicans and will always vote against help for the poor and needy.
I'm lucky in that I am still mobile - I have transportation. Alot of the people who are in as bad shape as I am up here cannot afford transportation that is reliable.
Also, along with extreme poverty, which is common here, comes a total lack of regard for such things as voting.