Nay for Healthcare Glitches

[Novelista]

I don't know if any of you keep up with the news or not (or if this is even talked about in other states), but Michigan's Medicaid expansion/Healthy Michigan Plan didn't roll out until today. It sounds like a lot of uninsured people couldn't enroll until today, while those of us who were on county health plans (like me) got letters in February telling us what options we had and encouraging us to enroll by Feb 20.

 

I like to plan things in advance, so I enrolled the day after I received the letter (Feb 6) and picked the insurance company I was thinking of. Last month, when I found out who was going to be covering dental, I called and booked all my appointments for today or after. (Chiropractor is just walk-in and I wasn't due for eye doctor until July {which I scheduled}, so I scheduled doctor, therapy and dentist.) I never got my card and I didn't have the patience to wait on hold yesterday, so I called today for my "numbers". After being on hold for a bit, the gal at PHP said that they didn't have me in the system. So I called the enrollment line and they told me that there was an error and my information never went through. She said she'd send it through immediately, but my insurance wouldn't start until May 1.

 

 

MAY FIRST?!

 

 

How on Goddess's green earth could you have an error for nearly two months and not notice it?! (Surely it was a batch error and not just me?)

 

The gal claimed that Healthy Michigan was a plan in and of itself and that's what I'd have until May 1 (since the health department is now closed), but I have my doubts. I know I'm not trained like she is, so I don't know what she does, but it seems odd that it would be a plan in and of itself if I had to go off and pick insurance. (Right?)

 

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Oh and to add insult to injury (which life always does), a family friend that I particularly liked has passed away. So I took it pretty hard. (Plus: PMS. :sick02:)

[Ranaki]

If I had the means, I would have left the states LONG ago. Sadly I didn't, and still don't. However, I would like to write to the person *ahem* -WHOMEVER is was- that came up with this idea.

My mother is having issues getting health insurance for herself, I am not seeking insurance, but she doesn't work since my step-father has a pension, SSI, yadda yadda yadda. But since SHE doesn't make monies, she no has insurance - and they won't give her any that isn't $300-$500/month, and this "fine" thing they're going to have is ridiculous. If one can not afford to have insurance, how can they possibly have the means to pay the fine? [Ranting, apologies... ]

 

My condolences for your family friend, and that time of the month =( Never a good combo, especially mixed with stress.

[dawnshine]

I actually had the same thing happen today except I actually have to re-enroll because something never went through. I thought I've had insurance for months, haha.

[Novelista]

I know what you mean about leaving the country. On one hand, my family is here...on the other hand, free healthcare is out there. :P

 

I was actually looking into disability so I could save my money and move out of the country (this was before HM was straightened out), but in order for an attorney to take my case, I'd have to be under the care of a psychiatrist (not a psychologist, not a therapist--of course). Community Mental Health wouldn't let me see a psych unless I was threatening to kill myself or others. (Thought they were supposed to help everyone. What a j-o-k-e!) And I couldn't go to a psych on my own because I had no insurance. Evil, evil circle. *sigh*

 

 

Ireland is definitely appealing...temperate, beautiful, free healthcare and free tuition if you've lived in the EU at least three years.

 

Maybe someday, if TPTB are willing.

 

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Meanwhile, I can't go to the funeral, because I have an appointment that afternoon.

 

Of course, I could re-schedule.

 

And it's an appointment to get...what do you want to call it...employment training? (You know...going back to school to get a better job and the state helps you?) And I'm trying to be Very Optimistic that I get a call tomorrow for a pharmacy tech job, so...(where's a finger crossing smiley when you need it?!)

[Aquamentis12]

Awww man! That stinks Novelista. Sorry to hear you're in like, the 33% + that got stuck with that. That's what I heard reported months ago, that there was a glitch in the system and that up to or perhaps higher than 1/3rd of people who thought they had signed up, weren't signed up, and unfortunately, this was the only way to know who was glitched and who wasn't. :(

 

I hope something GOOD happens before May 1st. Like your coverage surprisingly starting sooner! This whole thing was SUPPOSED to be for the 30 million people that didn't have insurance, not screw those WITH coverage over. My insurance changed too, and I am none-too-happy about it. WAY more costly on my end. In my case, the insurer simply closed their doors because Obamascare covered the same stuff my previous insurer did, just at higher cost basically.

So, if 5-6 mil lost insurance policies, and today the white house is touting 7.1 mil signed up. Estimating those 5-6 mil who HAD prior coverage, that they liked, and taking into account people on Medicaid, who have to re-enroll yearly anyway, (But the WH supposedly HAS been using those numbers too) Even without the Medicaids, You've MAYBE got a net of 2-2.1 mil people who signed up for the A.C.A. That didn't have insurance before, that's TERRIBLE considering there were 30 mil they WANTED to get insurance for. I mean, they HAD over 3 years since the law was forced down our throats to get it RIGHT, and it's a nightmare, even the Healthcare site was down (Again) several times on March 31st, (last day for enrolling.)

 

Sorry for the mini-vent, I've been watching the news closely on this for what feels like AGES, and am just LIVID with the lies and deceits and the supposed number-padding. I'm sorry you got hit with that nasty surprise about your enrolling. :( Good luck getting through to when it finally kicks in for you.

[Novelista]

*picks herself back up from the giant gust of wind (windstorm?) that was your rant*

 

Woo! Warn a girl to grab a tree next time, nu? :laughingsmiley:

 

 

No, this wasn't the fault of the president or any of the ACA team...it was down lower at the state level. (It was the "Michigan Enrolls"/"Healthy Michigan" hotline I called.) I actually didn't need the ACA site, as being on the Adult Medical Plan (that's what I meant by "county plan"--had to go to the health department) automatically earned me a letter saying that I qualified for Healthy Michigan.

 

If you want to blame a human, let's blame the state legislature for taking so long to straighten things out so that we didn't get Medicaid/not-quite-Medicaid on January 1 when everyone else got their plans. :devil:

 

 

Besides...until today, I was cheering.

 

After I turned 26 (ending January 31, 2012, specifically), I lost all coverage. I had to pay for dentist and eye doctor out of pocket (so it was "whenever I could save money") and I had to go to the health department for non-emergency care. (It was a two-county department, though, so my doctor was only in once a week.) Oh and I didn't ever get therapy, because the counselors changed as frequently as Michigan changes weather! :P (I should note that I'd been paying for vision and dental OoP since about 2010, as I was on my dad's insurance and General Motors didn't give the UAW back its vision and dental until after I aged out.)

 

Now? Doctor, therapy, dental, vision, chiropractor...no copays for the first six months, and then one of those flex spending accounts based on your income thereafter.

 

It will be good, once everything gets straightened out! :D