My recovery continues, my SSI & Medicaid doesn't
Social Security called me in for a review. I was not surprised, the past few years I have earned increasing amounts above $100K. Until my wife died last year, I needed the extra cash to pay for her health care. I was able to dodge a few reviews the past couple of years, but this time I knew there was no escape.
"Mr. Goya, you no longer qualify for SSI - but, when you file your taxes for the past few years, you will probably qualify for SSDI." I missed qualifying for SSDI when I applied by one quarter of work.
My Medicaid? I got a letter dated 2/16 on 2/23 telling me my insurance will end on 2/28. If I don't qualify for other low-income programs (and I don't) there's a number to call to discuss Medicare.
I was hoping to get a hernia operation before I was cut off. Also, I have been developing skin lesions similar to the ones my wife got prior to massive organ failure. Mine aren't as bad, I have a better immune system. Maybe they ARE from some environmental factor, maybe even my mom's cats I adopted after she died last year, and my wife didn't want to keep them. They used to run wild in the woods during the summer, and there was a lot of Lyme's Disease there. On the other hand, I have psoriasis/eczema, they might just be that.
Why I waited to take care of my health issues?
1. My mom became seriously ill a few years ago, I was the only relative in NYC and I had to pick her up 3x a week from dialysis and make sure she ate and had her meds etc. Then when she went into assisted living, my wife's health started to fail. It's fortunate that I worked from home most of last year, she was in and out of hospitals, and at home she was in a hospital bed. I was able to care for her. My mom died in March, my wife died in July, and then my best friend died in September.
2. I am months behind schedule on a book I am writing about CORS (technical web developer stuff) and I have been trying to write one chapter a week.
3. I need to deal with the $563,000 bills I am getting for my wife's final care. That is only for the hospital charges, not including the doctors' bills. The hospital told me to come in and apply for Charity Care since she was uninsured and unemployed.
4. I was unemployed from mid-October through January 6, unusual since usually I find a new contract within 2-3 weeks of finishing one, but it was the holidaze. Furiously interviewing. The one I started in January ended 2 weeks ago, furiously interviewing again. I expect offers in about 10 days.
4. I am still going through my wife's things, deciding what can be donated.
I suppose it is a bit of a success story, considering in the mid-90s I was so ill my psychiatrist signed forms forgiving me of my student loans because he deemed me unable to work again ever. Then there were the 10 years we were homeless. I built my self-employed consulting business from nothing, starting it in a group home where I went after voluntary hospitalization.
I am a little worried about how much my medication will cost when I have to refill it in about a week - just after the Medicaid evaporates. I guess I can probably pay cash for it while I figure out the Medicare thing. Seroquel withdrawal is nasty, it feels like a nausueous flu headache, and I can't sleep. I would rather not run out.
Some of my job prospects are regular "jobs" with benefits and insurance. I think it usually takes at least 6 months for the insurance to activate. I have learned a lot moving to new clients frequently and encountering different environments. The rewards are diminishing, and I am ready to settle down with a company that is a good fit and offers advancement.
I got an offer to join AARP in the mail, and today I got a phone advert targeted at "senior citizens" - I will be 56 in May. Guess I am getting old. But I don't feel old. Maybe I should look into the AARP Medicare plan, if I don't get insurance through a job. Also I belong to the Freelancers Union - not a real "union" but it has some group benefits plans.
They say you do not get given challenges that you are unable to manage. If all this happened 2 years ago while I was scrambling to pay $4-5000 per month for my wife's health care, it would have made things impossible. I'm pretty sure I can navigate the transition. I consider it evidence of sustained recovery.
"Mr. Goya, you no longer qualify for SSI - but, when you file your taxes for the past few years, you will probably qualify for SSDI." I missed qualifying for SSDI when I applied by one quarter of work.
My Medicaid? I got a letter dated 2/16 on 2/23 telling me my insurance will end on 2/28. If I don't qualify for other low-income programs (and I don't) there's a number to call to discuss Medicare.
I was hoping to get a hernia operation before I was cut off. Also, I have been developing skin lesions similar to the ones my wife got prior to massive organ failure. Mine aren't as bad, I have a better immune system. Maybe they ARE from some environmental factor, maybe even my mom's cats I adopted after she died last year, and my wife didn't want to keep them. They used to run wild in the woods during the summer, and there was a lot of Lyme's Disease there. On the other hand, I have psoriasis/eczema, they might just be that.
Why I waited to take care of my health issues?
1. My mom became seriously ill a few years ago, I was the only relative in NYC and I had to pick her up 3x a week from dialysis and make sure she ate and had her meds etc. Then when she went into assisted living, my wife's health started to fail. It's fortunate that I worked from home most of last year, she was in and out of hospitals, and at home she was in a hospital bed. I was able to care for her. My mom died in March, my wife died in July, and then my best friend died in September.
2. I am months behind schedule on a book I am writing about CORS (technical web developer stuff) and I have been trying to write one chapter a week.
3. I need to deal with the $563,000 bills I am getting for my wife's final care. That is only for the hospital charges, not including the doctors' bills. The hospital told me to come in and apply for Charity Care since she was uninsured and unemployed.
4. I was unemployed from mid-October through January 6, unusual since usually I find a new contract within 2-3 weeks of finishing one, but it was the holidaze. Furiously interviewing. The one I started in January ended 2 weeks ago, furiously interviewing again. I expect offers in about 10 days.
4. I am still going through my wife's things, deciding what can be donated.
I suppose it is a bit of a success story, considering in the mid-90s I was so ill my psychiatrist signed forms forgiving me of my student loans because he deemed me unable to work again ever. Then there were the 10 years we were homeless. I built my self-employed consulting business from nothing, starting it in a group home where I went after voluntary hospitalization.
I am a little worried about how much my medication will cost when I have to refill it in about a week - just after the Medicaid evaporates. I guess I can probably pay cash for it while I figure out the Medicare thing. Seroquel withdrawal is nasty, it feels like a nausueous flu headache, and I can't sleep. I would rather not run out.
Some of my job prospects are regular "jobs" with benefits and insurance. I think it usually takes at least 6 months for the insurance to activate. I have learned a lot moving to new clients frequently and encountering different environments. The rewards are diminishing, and I am ready to settle down with a company that is a good fit and offers advancement.
I got an offer to join AARP in the mail, and today I got a phone advert targeted at "senior citizens" - I will be 56 in May. Guess I am getting old. But I don't feel old. Maybe I should look into the AARP Medicare plan, if I don't get insurance through a job. Also I belong to the Freelancers Union - not a real "union" but it has some group benefits plans.
They say you do not get given challenges that you are unable to manage. If all this happened 2 years ago while I was scrambling to pay $4-5000 per month for my wife's health care, it would have made things impossible. I'm pretty sure I can navigate the transition. I consider it evidence of sustained recovery.
Replies
Hey Decibel . . . I really don\'t have a clue about SS and Medicare, etc. Just wanted to say \"hey\" .. . and recognize your journal entry.
So sorry the girl date didn\'t work out as expected. The point is you are putting yourself out there . . taking these risks to \"live\". Atta boy!
Wishing you all the best . . . xo, Dayna
it all sounds so complicated, like a minefield. the best of luck with it. i hope you manage to get things sorted out so that you can get your meds and get work organised again. hugs.