I need opinions and support, I think, or something. For the past couple of weeks I have very bad stomach problems, I get nauseas almost every time I eat, I vomit right after eating about 50% of the time, I have delayed blood sugar spikes, and it’s progressively getting worse.I’ve gotten weak and tired and fuzzy headed. Yeah, I know, sounds like gastroparesis, or something I need to go to the doctor for. Here’s my issue. I started a new job about a month ago and I work 8:30am-5:00pm Monday through Friday and can’t just take off work. I also have no insurance coverage for specialists or hospital visits. I’ve become incredibly depressed and really just want to go to the hospital and get help. I feel like I’m absolutely stuck, I literally feel like I’m dying. I don’t know what to do to fix this situation, anyone have any ideas?
Oh, going back to my old job is an “option” but the shame I have already gotten from my family is almost too much to bear. What I want to do is go back to my old job, work 4 days a week and have a $2600 deductible so I can go to the hospital, or work 3 days a week and be able to get on government subsidized health insurance until I can get this thing fixed, but I don’t want to do anything too drastic. I just feel so hopeless.
I would go back to your old job and take care of your health which sounds serious. If you are on the subsidized insurance it will be covered. How can you have no coverage for er/hospital? What if your gp admits you to the hospital? Sending you hugs.
I don’t understand why you cannot take off work to tend to your health. If you are in such a situation now returning to your old job might be your best bet if nothing can be worked out with you current employer.
I hate to see you give up on a job which you desire to keep. Before going back talk with your employer and tell tell that you have a serious health problem that must be seen by a doctor. Hopefully you will find them more understanding than you think.
The bottom line is that you must take care of your health. I hope everything works out for the best.
I’ve considered this, but, if I am able to take time off work, I cannot afford to take care of this problem with the health insurance I have. I get covered for 4 PCP visits a year and generic prescriptions. That’s about it. I would be paying out of pocket for any specialist visits I would need and any hospital stays. I would have insurance discounts, but I know seeing my endocrinologist is still about $600, so I have to assume a gastroenterologist would be in the same ballpark. I don’t make much money (and I get paid by the hour) but because my health plan is so cheap I don’t qualify for any help through the marketplace.
Did you try going to urgent care for the interim and just pay cash? it should be below $100 and then woory about insurance/job later?
Urgent care is open after 5.30 PM too
Shame is just an illusion… You shouldnt feel ashamed for taking up a job that will help you on your insurance and health… if at all , your family should be ashamed for being so narrow minded
You do have options… you just have to pick one and move on
Double and triple check with your current insurance. Often, their first, automatic, reaction is to deny coverage. Ask them to point out the specific clause in the contract that prevents their paying.
Do what you need to do in order to be as healthy as you can. We all do.
It’s easy for me to say this, looking at it from the outside, but shame is one thing and genuinely serious threats to health are quite another. I would opt in favor of whatever I had to do to get medical care and deal with the fallout as it comes. You have to be here and functioning for “shame” to be an issue.
You might try asking your family whether they are willing to pick up the medical tab in order for you to stay in the “non shameful” job. (No, you can’t really say a thing like that, it’s just my anger talking.)
I’m confused. Most insurance doesn’t just cover you for 4 PCP visits and nothing else. That is not insurance. I think you need to really examine what insurance you have. You may think you have no coverage but in fact you may well have coverage. It may also be true that you are responsible for 100% until you get past the deductible. And with insurance you typically don’t pay “rack rate,” you have a negotiated rate. My endo visit is billed at $300, but the negotiated rate is $105. You can call your endo and ask them to confirm with your insurance what you would be expected to pay.
The only plan I could afford at my new job is a plan that covers the minimal amount required by the government. It isn’t a good plan at all, but with the discounts I was going to be able to make it work. It’s possible I can find better prices for specialists, I’m pretty sure I am charged to just walk into the Cleveland clinic, then charged for the appt. on top of that.
Does that mean that the 4 PCP visits are covered w/o deductible entering the equation but other services start encountering deductible? Or that other services aren’t “covered” at all? I’m just curious.
I would recommend looking carefully into what is covered, what is your deductible and your copays. And then contacting the needed specialist (like and endo) and make them do a preauthorization to make sure that you know exactly how much it will cost you. It may cost $600, but I doubt it.
Obviously just going back to your old job will not be an option. First of all, take a breath and realize that this is a temporary situation. You will soon be in a position to take time off work for a doc appointment, and you will get some answers. You don’t necessarily need a specialist for this, a GP should be able to help. Have you considered filing FMLA (family medical leave act) paperwork with your HR office? They have to allow you unpaid time off to deal with medical situations, and this option can be perfect to allow you time to do that. I’ve always been very open with employers about my diabetes, and minor accommodations like time off for appointments or being able to eat or test BG at my desk are well worth the minor hassle of the paperwork.
You have to work with an employer for a minimum length of time before you are eligible for fmla protections I believe
"FMLA only applies to certain employees. First, the employee must work for a covered employer (see the question above). Second, the employee must work for the employer for a minimum of 12 months, and at least 1,250 hours during those 12 months, before taking leave under FMLA. Third, the employee’s job must take place at a location where at least 50 employees work, or within 75 miles of such a location. - See more at: What is FMLA? FAQ on Federal Leave Law - FindLaw
Okay, I did a quick Google search to better explain what a MEC (minimum essential coverage) plan is, but I can’t find much info about them, no wonder everyone is so baffled by my insurance. My plan ONLY covers what the government requires to cover. Mostly preventative care, along with 20 generic prescriptions a year ($20 deductible, I believe). The PCP visits are of no charge, everything else is not covered. There is no deductible, no co-pays, no out of pocket max. I do get to pay the insurance negotiated prices (making a vial of Humalog about $120, for example), but non-generic prescriptions, specialist visits, and hospital anything is not covered.
Now, I chose this plan, after carefully looking at all my options, because it is $34 a month. Combining that with the “discounts” for medical equipment, insulin, et.c., it was the most affordable to me.
@Brian_BSC I had to pay out of pocket before I hit my deductible to see my endo with my last insurance plan. It was somewhere around $600, maybe closer to $700.
