It's Friday again! I wasn't sure what to write tonight, and then I got this statement from Medicaid. Join me over the Itzl and see how foolish this state is.
As you can see by Itzl's concerned look, this group is for us to check in at to let people know we are alive, doing OK, and not affected by such things as heat, blizzards, floods, wild fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, power outages, or other such things that could keep us off DKos. It's also so we can find other Kossacks nearby for in-person checks when other methods of communication fail - a buddy system. Members come here to check in. If you're not here, or anywhere else on DKos, and there are adverse conditions in your area (floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, etc.), we and your buddy are going to check up on you. If you are going to be away from your computer for a day or a week, let us know here. We care!
IAN is a great group to join, and a good place to learn to write diaries. Drop one of us a PM to be added to the Itzl Alert Network anytime! We all share the publishing duties, and we welcome everyone who reads IAN to write diaries for the group! Every member is an editor, so anyone can take a turn when they have something to say, photos and music to share, a cause to promote or news!
Ok, we do have a diary schedule. But, when you are ready to write that diary, either post in thread or send FloridaSNMOM a Kosmail with the date. If you need someone to fill in, ditto. FloridaSNMOM is here on and off through the day usually from around 9:30 or 10 am eastern to around 11 pm eastern.
Monday:
BadKitties
Tuesday:
bigjacbigjacbigjac
Wednesday:
Caedy
Thursday:
weck
Friday:
FloridaSNMOM
Saturday:
broths
Sunday:
loggersbrat
By denying me medicaid and putting me on "medically needy" with a $898 'qualification buy in' I don't get to manage my chronic breathing condition. Instead, it's treat at the ER, and get my meds as I can. So today I get a letter from Medicaid, stating how much they've paid for my medical bills since we moved to this county (since February).
Now it wasn't a bad year, I've only been to the hospital twice in the last 9 months. Some years it's a LOT more than that. It's rarely been less, at least not in the past 10-15 years. But there have been many years, when I was fully medicated that it was all just ER visit and not admissions. I have had some years when I wasn't fully medicated that it was 6-7 admissions in a year. I fully expect I'll end up in the ER again before the year is out. November-January is actually my worst time of year. Also, they prevent my using the medicaid too much even when I qualify for it (require more than $898 worth of medical care in a month) by not sending me my temporary medicaid number until the last day of the month in which I qualified. This prevents me from scheduling any follow up appointments and getting any expensive meds at the pharmacy. AND this is what Medicaid pays, not what I would pay if I as paying on my own.
So first off, the bare necessity prescriptions to keep me breathing and out of the hospital given I don't get sick or actually.. you know, DO anything. This doesn't include maintenance inhalers or the only cough med that really works, just my emergency inhaler, nebulizer treatments, and prednisone. Altogether, medicaid would pay (and all this is given I got the math right, but I think I have) $68.82/month or (if they actually paid it every month, and they don't, they only bought them once this year) $825.84/year. Now that doesn't include doctor's visits to keep up with those prescriptions, which would be an added expenses every 3-6 months if I had medicaid, depending on the doctor and how stable my lungs are that year.
So my first visit to the hospital in March, was a 3 day admission. The bill for that visit, not counting radiology and doctors which weren't included on this statement was: $5, 610.51
The second visit in August was what I call a "catch and release". I went into the ER, they got me stable with IV meds, mega breathing treatments and oxygen and made sure I didn't have pneumonia and sent me home again. That visit came to $881.92. Ambulance costs came to $190. So a total of $1071.92.
Bringing the tax payers total cost since February to $6682.43. This was a 'cheap' year. I only had one admission since February, I wasn't majorly ill other than my lungs. I won't always be that lucky, especially given that I often go without some of those 'basic necessity' meds, and if I could get my maintenance meds I'd be even better. Now what's more cost effective? Expanding medicaid or keeping me on medically needy? I suck at math and I can tell you that it's costing Florida about 4-6 times as much to keep me on medically needy (depending how many ER visits and admissions I have in a given year) than it would giving me medicaid. I'd also be more productive, maybe able to get out and volunteer at least, even if I'm still not stable enough to work. I'd also be better able to take care of my family, make them healthier meals, etc. Maybe I should forward this Diary to Charlie Crist.