About Me

I am beyond vexed that the lottery has not made me a winner. I am not greedy for millions ~my needs are simple: good books, better wine, and a new vehicle.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

What They Don't Tell You

Or at least what They didn't tell me. Mother's 100 days of Medicare paid hip rehab ran out on 8/18. The Home told me in July that this was going to happen and that they would begin the process for Medicaid to cover the rest of her rehab. What they didn't tell me is that in order to qualify for Medicaid you cannot have more than $2000.00 to your name. It really should state that fact on the freaking Medicaid paperwork that needs to be filled out too. But it doesn't. I spent a day filling out the paperwork when it arrived last week and gathering all the documents they need to see if she qualified. The amount of Mother's savings is less than what working people on the low income scale make in a year, however this naturally puts her over the limit. So....I find out yesterday about the Medcaid not happening. I call The Home. She owes $3,780 for 8/18 thru 8/31. $270 a day. For a bathroom shared by 4 people with fecal matter stuck to the toilet, no A/C, crappy food and a smell that makes your eyes well up and lungs seize. Okay. So I call the place she stayed over the winter when she was waiting for the hip surgery, which is 3 miles from here, is clean and doesn't stink like old people waiting for Death; also a private room / bath. And is $140.00 a day. They have a room for her. She'll get P/T twice a week there, but I can bring her to P/T the other days here in town. And she will be under her regular physician's care again, which is huge. So, I'm driving up to discharge her from Haven Hellcare today. I left the Social Services lady there a message yesterday afternoon telling her what I was going to do and to make sure her charts etc. were ready to go. She didn't call back. I'll be nice. I'll sweetly explain she cannot afford to stay there. I'll write that check for her uncovered care. Then I'll get her the fuck out of there.

So my Mantra for today is going to be: Remain calm. Get her settled.

2 comments:

Zoely said...

oh, all I can say to this is GRRRR...you *know* what a b!tch I can be. The staff at Hellcare would NOT want to see me coming.

Maryam in Marrakesh said...

What a good daughter you are. The health care/insurance system in the US sucks (my family is all doctors and they think it sucks, too)