if I am correct you are about 17 or 18 years old. you should be covered by any life insurance your parents have.
finding a job that provides the kind of health insurance you need may not be easy, particularly if you have health issues and are "too heavy" and you are the age I think you are.
I am not prying into your life but if your parents have any health insurance you may have to ask them to cover you.
dialysis doesn't start at any particular number but you will need it soon. good luck.

Can you apply for Medicaid?

I agree with andi484. Check into Medicare/Medicaid. What kind of insurance coverage do you have now? If its thru your parents, go that route. But otherwise check into government assistance. Your function is getting low enough you will definately need dialysis or transplant soon, so get on the ball with it. Its alot of paperwork and preparation to get things going, but if you find a good clinic and/or nephrologist they will move things along for you faster. Good luck.

Hi, I agree with everyone else, you need to be inlisted into Medicaid and wonder if you are not already, being that you go to a free clinic? My sister was very poor and a widow, they put her in the medicaid system and she has had better care that anyone that I know of, even me and we are on Medicare. I won't go into that now. But do you realize what you are entitled to in that system? Yes, it's a lot of paperwork and appointments, but it will be well worth it to you if you do it. She gets food stamps, all sorts of financial help that I would never have dreamed of. There is no reason that you have to continue living with your parents at your age, and I looked to see how old you are, 27 right? I know the pain of PKD and what you are feeling, are you taking any pain meds, I'am guessing probably not, but you should be. It doesn't sound to me like you are getting very good medical care or adise. there is help for you, don't wait any longer.

Please take my advise and get signed up with Medicaid, you will not regret it!

Lots of love and hugs,
Norma..

Polykid,
I don't think that there is any issue regarding your weight. You may be over weight, but I've never heard of someone being told they aren't eligible for a transplant be cause of their weight. It may be an issue, I'm don't know, but the only people to tell you if it is would be the transplant center as they are the ones who do the workup to decide if you are eligible for a transplant. No doc at a free clinic has the knowledge or authority to make that call!

The most important thing for you to do is apply for Medicaid and even Medicare. Medicare has a special plan for people with End Stage Renal Disease. Technically you have to be at 15% or less (I'm pretty sure) but once you are, Medicare can not deny you and they will cover 80% of your transplant costs and/or dialysis costs.


Once you have Medicare you can apply for a private insurance as your secondary (which means they cover what Medicare does not). My mom is on dialysis has had three brain surgeries from aneurysms, had a stroke and has had surgery on both legs to restore her circulation and she only pays 128.00 dollars a month for her secondary insurance.

I would suggest calling your local transplant center and speaking with their financial counselors. They are a wealth of information and would be able to help you navigate the Medicaid/Medicare application process. I do know that if you do not have an adequate means to pay for the cost of transplant and, more importantly, the anti-rejection meds, then you will not be eligible for one. But as I've said, Medicare will gurantee coverage once you are 15% or less so there are options for you.

You may also want to consider speaking with an attorney who specializes in SSI (social security insurance). This is a program for people who are disabled and unable to work. Not only do you recieve Medicare, but you can also get a monthly check to help with cost of living. This is based on how much you've paid into the system over the timespan of your work career, so if you've not worked much, you may not get much, but it's worth looking into. It's very hard to get so I wouldn't start this process until you have successfully gotten on Medicaid or Medicare for kidney failure.

I know this is a lot of information. I hope that it has been helpful and not too confusing. Good luck and keep us posted.

Talk to you soon,
Tami

You seem rather young. I have seen you post before and I get the impression you are not getting the right help. I myself do not have an answer for you, but I encourage you to seek help. The system MUST have options for you.
Can your mother help? Maybe you can be added into her health insurance. If not, seek help and guidance in other family members, maybe a priest or preacher, social worker at school, maybe a teacher. I think you need to get in contact with the SS and request an interview; they should be able to guide you.
Regarding transplantation, you may need to get into dialysis in a not so distant future, but that doesnt mean you wont get a transplant. Put yourself as a goal to get a transplant in the future, after you get all the help and information you need, and think of dialysis as a temporary thing you will need to do in the meantime. Although young, you seem to have the same feelings we all have. Very afraid of dialysis and want to skip it by going directly to transplantation. A completely normal wish and way of thinking. Sometimes this is possible, but for most of the patients, a transplant usually comes at a later stage (after dialysis). Dont get discouraged. Just set yourself a goal.
Regarding your weight, since you will have long term plans and goals, all of them achievable, maybe you can start loosing weight little by little. I am not saying you wont be able to get a transplant if you are overweight, but when the day comes, you will want to be in top shape for such a surgery, it will probably make things easier for you. So loosing some weight will help. Besides, you want to look as handsome as can be for such an important day. You are a good looking young man already, but you probably will want to make the best impression on all those young nurses.
So there you go. Best of luck, and please, look for help. Let us know how it all turns up.
PKDAD

Thanks for the comments guys. I will try the medicare/medicaid route. I did talk to a transplant center but they won't help me until the kidney doctor at the clinic refers me to them and he won't until I reach 14%. But I will continue to try to look into things though. If anybody has anymore advice let me know.