My mother was recently diagnosed with colon cancer. She is going to need chemo, radiation, and surgery. Unfortunately her Medicare part B has expired which means she has no outpatient coverage. So why did it expire? Have you ever seen one of those new TV programs about compulsive hoarders? That’s her. She’s not as bad as most of those shows, but bad enough. When my brother and I finally went down to clean out her house there was months worth of unopened mail filling boxes, bags, tables, the garage floor ... everywhere. When I was young they used to turn off our lights and telephone for non-payment. So she hadn’t paid the premium for her Medicare part B, she didn’t even know there was one, and they terminated it. The enrollment period is January and she obviously can’t wait for treatment.
I was hoping that somebody on the Daily Kos community would have a background in social work or Medicare and could help us figure out what to do. Does Medicare have some sort of early enrollment option for people with a life threatening condition? What other options are there? I already know to ask the doctors and clinics to bill us at the Medicare contracted rate, but that’s still a lot of money.
Sure I could go on about my mother, but those are the basic facts. Should I mention how her mother had colon cancer but my mother refused to get a colonoscopy until she was bleeding? How I have begged her for years to take care of her diabetes while watching her eat whatever she wants, never check her sugares, take no meds, and not see a doctor? How she has become increasingly bitter and depressed? How she suffered with crippling headaches her entire life but refused to see a doctor for them? How she has been the sole caretaker of my grandmother who has become a clingy hypochondriac in her old age? Whenever I suggested she take an antidepressant, get her sugars under control, or talk to a doctor about her headaches she would just get angry and defensive. She has been like a drug addict only without the drugs.
Now she has screwed herself royally. She has cancer advanced enough to need serious treatment (if detected early on a routine colonoscopy this type of cancer can often be cured during the colonoscopy), and she doesn't have the insurance to pay for it. She'll probably even need a colostomy. But she's still my mother and saying 'I told you so' doesn't actually solve anything.
In a more general sense this does bring up the issue of health care for the mentally ill. Even when Obamacare takes effect how will it help those people who are too mentally ill to enroll in a health care plan or keep up with the premiums?
I know this isn’t your typical Daily Kos diary, but if you could recommend it I’d appreciate it ... anything to keep it on the front page for a few hours so I can get some advice.
Thanks!