Medicaid

I need advice, if anyone on here knows much about medicaid.

Here's the situation. I was pregnant. I filed my paperwork, because I had no insurance or any sort of health coverage. I got a letter of denial for Texas CHIP, not Medicaid, a few days before I had a miscarriage. I had applied for Medicaid, not CHIP, and the reason I was denied is because I would've been approved for Medicaid.

So then I had to have an emergency D&C. Called the Medicaid people and asked what to do, they said they could pay my bills since I would've been approved, and for me to go to the office and fill out the paperwork. I did this, and today I had my interview and was denied because they said I filed the paperwork after I lost the baby. DUH! Because those shits screwed it up in the first place!

But now I'm left with $11,000+ in medical bills that I have absolutely no way of paying.

Does anyone know anything I can do?

 

From what you have said here, you are getting caught up in the web of bureaucracy, it also sounds like you have a viable claim against Medicaid for negligence. This is a legal matter where you need representation which of course could be costly, your best bet is to try to get someone to take on your case on contingency so you don pay until you win. Good luck, this will not be a easy or short road.

 

...ugh. What is the likelihood of finding someone who'd take the case under those circumstances?

 

You can also ask the office at the hospital about a hardship. If you dont have a lot of money or dont have insurance, they will sometimes write the whole amount off or a portion of it off. They should help you.

 

holy shit, sorry to hear that. I have no answers, but I am hoping for you that there is some way out. Good luck, DH.

 

Yes, but do it soon...there is a time limit on these things.

 

Hard to say, you never know what kind of a case is going to appeal to a lawyer, start with the local Bar association, they usually have a referral service, and a free initial consultation. Good luck.

 

Yeah, when i went to the ER a few months ago to get treatment, i told them that i didn't have insurance, and that i didn't have any way to pay for the bill because i had just graduated and hadn't found work yet. I had to fill out the application, and show them proof that i needed the assistance, and i got a letter in the mail a little while ago which said my fee of $1500 had been waved by 100 percent. I was so relieved. There definitely is financial assistance programs if you need it. You just have to prove to them with documents that you have absolutely no way of paying. And Kuntry is right. There is usually a 90 day time limit on such things.

 

The only bright spot is in Tx they cannot garnish wages.

I would keep after medicaid. Is there an appeals process after denial?

 

Wow... how can things like that happen in the USA? Here you wouldn't have had to pay 1 single euro.

Good luck, DH

 

Wouldn't cost a single cent here either.
And that's how it should be.
It's sad enough to loose a baby even when it's free.


Best wishes DH!
:smt056

 

Ronja,the right-wing in my country said about yours that it is Socialist. It is sad but the insurance and medical industry use the horror stories of health care in the EU of patients waiting in line are few. The myth of "free" health care in the US is a understatement.

 

exactly...

 

I knew this was coming, and now TS you are making me raise my conservative voice...

One reason it can happen in the USA is because a person can choose not to have health insurance. (I'm not saying it necessarily applies in this case).

Oh, and rest assured, health care is always paid for by someone. It is not free.

At any rate, many Americans are demanding a govt-controlled health system like you guys have in Europe which Obama supports. We will see if Americans can stomach the hike in taxes if it happens (I don't think it will).

 

I don't really know how things work in the US, but I thought that ppl don't have the insurance because it's too expensive or btw there are some difficulties. Otherwise, everybody would have it and nobody would complain.

About welfare system, I think the middle way would be better. By the way, I pay a lot of taxes, but I'm happy to pay them if the government offers me the chance to be healty for cheap prices, and offers the same to all citizens (and still there are differences, unfortunately). If the government didn't cover my medical bills for my ashtma, I'd be broker that I already am.
Oh well, I'm a social worker, after all. I could talk about this stuff all day long. We don't have to agree, SirNose, u and the other ppl can call me socialist :smt101. I still think u r attractive

 

No way I'm hating on you TS or anyone here. Besides, I think my opinion on this is in the minority even in the US. We will have a system like yours soon probably. Thanks for the compliment, hottie.

 

Our system is not good either. There's a middle way, wich is great. That's the direction we r going to, and the US too. we r meeting in the middle

 

My son has been sick since Saturday, He's got a high temperature, and is constantly throwing up. I am able to give him small amounts of liquid. Since we're leaving for Cameroon on Thursday, I wanted to make sure it was nothing serious. So this evening I took him to the ER. I used the local, public ER.

I had not been to that specific ER before, since I just moved to this area a little more than a year ago.

The waiting room had a corner full of toys and books for the children, a TV corner with news for the adults, and an automate for coffee, tea, hot chocolate and cold water (to be used for free by patients). And a bunch of old magazines of course.

I had called in to tell them we were coming, so they had scheduled us for 5.30pm. I arrived 15 minutes early, so they called us in already at 5.25 (no waiting in that line Sir Nose is talking about).

We were in there for approx 15 minutes. The dr. listened to my son's stomach, took his temperature and took a blood test, and asked a bunch of questions about how my son is. They used 15 minutes to analyze the blood test (meanwhile the dr had another patient). We were then called back in again. The dr now used another 15 min to give me advises on how to make my son drink more and what to give him or not to give him, and to reasure me it's nothing serious and that my son should be fine by thursday (as I suspected).

This was for free (of course).

Normally I would have taken all of this more or less for granted. But today when I walked out from the ER I just felt so grateful to live in a place where anyone can take their children to the dr whenever they want, get excellent treatment, and not have to think of the cost.

So, thank you DH for sharing your story and make me apreciate more what I've got.

 

Wow!!! Scandinavia is so advanced. Here in Italy at the ER they look at you like you are a shit, lol, but oh btw it's still free.
I loved your post. I appreciate italian health care too in this moment.
I'm sure your child will be ok, and hey! Enjoy your vacation!!!!

 

I can so relate with that.

Here I can get a GP appointment the same day. When I was a kid I was at the ER all the time, I was always seen within half an hour. The place was clean, modern and nice and the staff were mostly pleasant. I've been in hospital quite a bit, I stayed for a month when I was 8 and minus one nurse who spend hours filing her nails and ignoring me everyone was really nice and the care was great.

When I was pregnant I was seen at least every two weeks and the hospital let me stay 7 days to help me get a hang of breast feeding because I was really struggling.

I'm still young so obviously I'm not that well off so luckily I haven't had the medical bills DH has. The NHS gets many complaints but honestly, apart from a few problems they've been great. I don't know how I'd cope. Both my parents have always paid taxes and since I was 18 I've paid my dental bills and prescription charges (pretty sure theyre getting rid of them, or maybe they already have) so I don't feel guilty or anything. As soon as I'm out of college I'll be happy to pay taxes to help out others too.