#Medicaid client

[chargetheintruder]

(Personal, Long) This is why I can't use 9-1-1 currently.

Yes, there's the issue of not being able to call for an ambulance for my health concerns without involving the police. The last 3 times I tried to get an ambulance I got cops instead, and while they weren't hostile they were, you know, police, not medical personnel, and then there had to be a second wait FOR the ambulance. And the sad part of that is, that's a fairly GOOD outcome for the United States: too often you dial 9-1-1 and what you get is Death on Wheels as Officer Trigger-Happy and his boyfriend, Officer Panic Attack, show up locked, loaded and dogs off the leash. Everyone's hyped up, but it's for the wrong reasons, to say the least. Too many police show up with a "who do I kill?" mindset versus a "who do I help?" one.

But this one runs deeper than that. More on that below the break.

I've had fairly serious health issues now for years. I've just had to sit there and watch in horror as my life's fallen apart, piece by piece as I've become more of a shut-in due to my bladder, prostate and colon issues becoming a constant and life-wrecking hassle. No sleep, no real chance to maintain laundry, no endurance left to get out there and do things with, and yeah, having the COVID-19 pandemic and its dysfunction to work around has been a mixed blessing at best.

But the main thing of it is this. I was forced to move across town and nearly completely out of zipcode in 2019. I've been banished from a centrally-located neighborhood in my town to being nearly in the boonies in the town next door--now I'm about 3 miles away from the bulk of my healthcare and I have neither a car or the license to legally drive one. There's mass transit bus service, sure, and that takes an hour's ride plus a walk to get to many places near Carle Hospital in town. So basically, I have no transportation I can reliably use to get to places without a longer trip than what my lower-body will tolerate.

So I did, a few times, have to use an ambulance service to get there to try to get help. And I got dumped by the Emergency Ward--basically given minimal meds/help and then told to "walk it off" and "go home" on foot, once late at night, once during the day, both times without even being told what bus routes run out to the place, or what my options were in terms of transportation home (and what I'd be billed for those). And yes, dumping happens, it's a thing:

And the last three times weren't any better. I got help with bus route info exactly ONCE from a specific nurse who even helped me make sure I had bus fare, but if she hadn't been there, nobody else would have been. The next one doesn't count--it was on my birthday 2 years ago and like an idiot, I admitted my physical health issues were emotionally distressing, and making me crazy. This got me put out to the Psychiatric Ward for my birthday, and then 6 days-ish of my being treated like dirt in the name of CBT exercises and enforcing obedience to Nurse #Karen. Although to be fair, EVERYONE in the Ward was being treated like dirt, half-starved by the lack of medically ordered dietary options, half-left to rot for want of access to hygiene goods, and a lot of us were left to fend for ourselves (and wait our turns for the most aggressive people to get done and get out of the way already). Point being, I got no help for the physical issues (I couldn't and they wouldn't), but I did at least get a ride home, after a colossal hassle.

Third time? Look, one side effect of the urinary tract business is that I get water issues (swelling, pain, bloating) in my feet and lower legs. I can't always stand and walk a lot. So I did get pushy ONCE and insist on a ride home on a "bill me later?" basis, since a) I don't have a smartphone for Uber purposes, and b) offering me an Uber home might have been a HIPAA (privacy act) violation on top of that. So I now owe a back debt (some 6 months old) of $36 bucks to the ambulance service. Meaning that won't work again, but at the same time, I didn't have to "walk it off" and dead-reckon/waddle my way home either like an unhinged duck trying to avoid being Duck Hunted By Police Helicopter. (all while hoping I don't pee myself all over the Mass Transit bus trying to get home from Downtown Urbana, ugh)

My point is? I've been dumped by Carle facilities at least twice. I also know going the Mental Health route won't work since it won't get me even trivial aid for the bladder/prostate issues. They'll just accuse me of being a drunk and/or uncooperative and go into Prison Warden Mode.

When here's the truth: the week of my birthday last month, during the night of August 17th into the day of the 18th, I had a CYST pop audibly in my urethra, inside of my literal penis. I had planned to do something about my student loans the tail end of August, but instead I had to spend the next 2 weeks biting down volcanic pain and taking store-brand over-the-counter stuff to keep myself out of sepsis and to take the edge off of the pain.

And there's at least two more CYSTS where that came from: one in my urethra, a second lying quietly on top of my bladder. A simple ultrasound could detect them both. But nah. I had the CT scan done, and now people insist on shoving robot probes up my butt (colonoscopy) and up my urethra (cystoscopy, yes, even with cysts present) with minimal doses of over-the-counter numbing agent, because By God, Mandated Suffering, I've Gotta Be AWAKE For This Shit, said no one BUT the insurer. Nobody but the right-wingers at Carle and Aetna actually want this. There's probably laws on the books keeping a Veterinarian from shoving robot probes into Dogs and Horses without knocking them out first, but nah, people are fair game.

But yeah. I have cysts, acting a lot like tumors. But Carle is like SETI. According to SETI, "It's not aliens because it's NEVER ALIENS, It's always DUST." Carle is "It's not Cancer because it's NEVER CANCER, because you're too fucking poor to help with that." Well, not unless you want robot probes shoved up your junk while you're being forced to be awake and watch your own torture.

If only I had the spare money to throw into having a bodily MRI done that I could submit INSTEAD OF the Robot Probing. But nah, that would be cheating, and expensive:

But mainly it would be Cheating right-wingers and #Karens out of their chances to gloat and chuckle over how "they get to suffer." And by suffer I might mean exploding cysts, and also having to deal with butt-seizures every time I fart or drop bowel, and near-constant blockage issues happening between the colon, prostate and bladder in there. Really, my life's been ruined for a couple of solid years already. I've already BEEN made a neutered shut-in by this condition, so Nurse #Karen and her radical feminist buddies can party and gloat and laugh right up until I Bite The Dust.

What am I saying? I have flagrant cysts. I do NOT feel good. I'm exhausted and in constant pain. I have anywhere from a few days to a few weeks left to live, and this isn't intentional on my part. My shoes are worn out and I don't have decent clothes left for a final trip to the hospital anyway. When the landlords kicked me out of town and Carle made all of this so difficult, they both sentenced me to death, and for what, being a townie on their precious Campus? :p

Something like that. I say that because I have to block a LOT out of my mind and make whole days and weeks a Blank Space just to NOT be traumatized by "everything, all the time" the way some folks say I am. I already have to block out and/or de-escalate from a lot as it is.

But yeah, I might be involuntarily dead or something, sooner than I'd like to be. Whether it's a few days or a few weeks, I don't know, but it doesn't feel so good, particularly around where my kidneys are. Things have gotten WORSE-worse. I will hang in as long as I can, but I can't promise miracles.

#long #personal #health issues #dying #9-1-1 use #having to do it myself because I live alone #if I don't do it it doesn't get done #emergency wards #emergency wards DUMPING people #mandated suffering #Medicaid client #possible cancer issues #mental health issues #transportation issues #MRI scans #MRI scans versus robot probes #versus cystoscopy #versus colonoscopy #getting help #might be too much to hope for now #doing what I can but there's not a lot left for me to work with

[obstinaterixatrix]

It actually was pretty tough to get diagnosed with and medicated for adhd, everyone kept telling me it was probably anxiety and nobody believed me until like five years ago I went through one of those intensive two-day testing whatevers and the psychologist looked at the data and went like Huh, That’s ADHD. then two years ago when I was On The Brink because of work I tried to see a therapist and in the first session I was hit with ‘actually instead of adhd it’s probably something else’ and then I quit my job

#my ramblings #people have been telling me to get a therapist and I’m like #haha. yeah. [still sore over last time and still not ready to try again] #like I’ve had good experiences with therapy #but I know it’s also hard to mesh with me as a client #because 1) don’t fall for the mask man obviously I use humor and irony as a defense mechanism duh #and 2) I actually already know how I feel most of the time I just refuse to say it so if someone is trying to help me process #or work towards solutions (which tends to happen a lot in therapy) #I get very. no no I know how I feel and what I need to do but it’s not time yet. #I have to talk around it and then talk about it and then acthally talk about my feelings and THEN I can do the functional thing #also I’m still on medicaid. limits options a lot. I really need to deal with health insurance.

[leadmeastraylittlefairy]

.

#dont read this it’s just boring shit about my work lmao #was doing an assessment w a client today to get her updated in our system so she could get financial assistance #she used to be on my caseload when i had a caseload and i’ve been working w her for almost 3 years #she had sent a mortgage statement but we ran out of our mortgage assistance after a month and a half when it’s supposed to last us a year #so no mortgage assistance again until january #we were talking and the assessment is like personal questions about health and stuff and she started crying bc #she only has 7 of her antiretroviral left #and medicaid is telling her they’re gonna stop covering her bc her income is too high so she had cut back to working 2 days a week #and then couldn’t afford her bills #made me so sad 😭 i wish she had told me she was having issues we have a whole insurance department she’s never utilized #our org will pay her entire premium for a marketplace/employer plan #and she’s already enrolled in a program that will pay for her meds regardless of her insurance #mad me so sad she has been so deeply stressed about this i hope she lets me connect her to the insurance people bc they can fully solve her #made* #problem and she would be able to work full time again

[ctbraininjurysupportservice-blog]

The Connection between a Clean Environment and TBI Recovery

Discover how a clean and organized home can transform the lives of traumatic brain injury survivors and inspire those who support them. Experience the powerful connection between a nurturing environment and successful rehabilitation. Don't miss out on this enlightening journey – follow the link and unlock the secrets to a brighter, more fulfilling recovery for both clients and staff.

ABI Resources is a reputable organization that provides exceptional support to individuals and families in collaboration with various government agencies and community service providers, including the Connecticut Department of Social Services DSS, COU Community Options, the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services DMHAS, Connecticut Community Care CCC CCCI Southwestern Connecticut Area on Aging SWCAA, Western Connecticut Area on Aging WCAAA, Allied Community Resources ACR, Access Health, and United Services. ABI Resources collaborates care with renowned institutions such as UCONN, Yale, and Hartford. As a community care and supported living provider, ABI Resources is dedicated to offering high-quality and personalized care to enhance the lives of those it serves. Medicaid MFP Money Follows the person program / ABI Waiver Program / PCA waiver.

traumatic brain injury, TBI recovery, clean home, organized home, reduced cognitive load, sense of control, reduced stress, enhanced safety, accessibility, home support staff, household chores, emotional support, rehabilitation, cognitive challenges, independence, self-esteem, emotional well-being, sleep quality, brain health, fall prevention, self-sufficiency, cognitive development, motor skill development, collaboration, quality of life, public health, clutter-free environment, information processing, concentration, memory impairments, distractions, daily activities, autonomy, motivation, engagement, adherence, calm, relaxation, healing, progress, safety, mobility, balance, emotional limitations, physical limitations, assistance, tailored support, active role, environment maintenance, ownership, empathy, encouragement, supportive environment, rehabilitation professionals, cognitive functioning, emotional functioning, physical functioning, home setting, nurturing environment, growth, adaptability, new way of living, listening ear, professional collaboration, strategies, techniques, fall risk, injury prevention, personal items, organization, mental well-being, stress management, anxiety reduction, healing atmosphere, self-confidence, rehabilitation exercises, emotional health, cognitive resources, mental focus, structured living, brain injury survivors, family support, injury rehabilitation, recovery process, health improvement, household management, professional assistance, patient care, therapy, recovery goals, support network, residential care, living space, psychological benefits, organization skills, mental clarity, and recovery journey.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/abi-resources-llc/

#The Connection between a Clean Environment and TBI Recovery #https://www.ctbraininjury.com/post/the-connection-between-a-clean-environment-and-tbi-recovery #Discover how a clean and organized home can transform the lives of traumatic brain injury survivors and inspire those who support them. Exp #more fulfilling recovery for both clients and staff. #ABI Resources is a reputable organization that provides exceptional support to individuals and families in collaboration with various gover #including the Connecticut Department of Social Services DSS #COU Community Options #the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services DMHAS #Connecticut Community Care CCC CCCI Southwestern Connecticut Area on Aging SWCAA #Western Connecticut Area on Aging WCAAA #Allied Community Resources ACR #Access Health #and United Services. ABI Resources collaborates care with renowned institutions such as UCONN #Yale #and Hartford. As a community care and supported living provider #ABI Resources is dedicated to offering high-quality and personalized care to enhance the lives of those it serves. Medicaid MFP Money Follo #traumatic brain injury #TBI recovery #clean home #organized home #reduced cognitive load #sense of control #reduced stress #enhanced safety #accessibility #home support staff #household chores #emotional support #rehabilitation #cognitive challenges

[she-is-ovarit]

I am on government insurance (Medicaid). Out of pocket, my psychologist's rate is $225 an hour. He went through a decade or more of school, obtained a PhD, and graduated with student loan debt. He didn't state how much, but I can imagine it's likely in the hundreds of thousands considering he still has this debt and graduated with his PhD in the early 2000s.

He shared with me that out of that $225 rate, he obtains about $25 from one Medicaid client's insurance company. The insurance company pockets the rest. My friend, another therapist, has a similar story. She makes $75 off of Medicaid clients usually when her rate out of pocket is $200.

Most therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists are no longer accepting Medicaid/Medicare insurances because of this reason, which people who are poor are on. Over half of mental health professionals are no longer accepting insurance, period. I think we all understand that low-income people and low-income communities struggle the most with mental health issues, and if you are a person of color in the US you are more likely to be low-income. If you are a domestic violence survivor turned homeless because you left your significant other, you are also more likely to be on Medicaid. If you are a first generation student, you are most likely on Medicaid. If you are formerly incarcerated, you are most likely on Medicaid. And so on.

Additionally, if you are a human being of the female sex, you are far more likely to seek out therapy than someone of the male sex. Overwhelmingly men don't seek out therapy unless their female significant partner pleads with them, pressures them, or gives them an ultimatum which influences them to make an appointment. What does this mean when the vast majority of mass shooters, rapists, pedophiles, and domestic violence abusers are male?

Figure 2. Percentage of adults aged 18 and over who had received any mental health treatment, taken medication for their mental health, or received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional in the past 12 months, by sex: United States, 2019

Pair all of these details with the fact that mental health professionals are in such high demand right now, that even with private insurance the wait list is anywhere from three to six months out. Insurance agencies are business, and the corruption inherent. Many focus on prioritizing coverage for acute crisis rather than treating long term underlying conditions (which in turn prevents acute crises), don't provide coverage for co-occurring conditions, are advertising that more providers are accepting their insurance than there actually are, and are solely driven by financial interest.

I wonder how much domestic violence, sexual violence, child abuse, poverty, hate crimes, generational trauma, and overall suffering within individuals and in their societies can be reduced by valuing mental health and holding insurance companies accountable for their financial exploitation.

We talk about the US healthcare crisis without talking about the US mental health crisis.

#mental health #therapy #psychology #behavioral health #social work #capitalism #late stage capitalism #poverty #inequality #healthcare #United States healthcare

[dromaeocore]

Speaking of peer respite (again), there are none in Minnesota, (despite them already existing in many Midwest states) meaning MN residents in crisis have no choice but to go to the psychiatric hospital, which is incredibly expensive and can be traumatizing and isolating.

(Peer respites are homelike, entirely voluntary environments for people in crisis, staffed by individuals with lived experience, and are usually free for their clients. You can come and go as you please, and are not isolated from the community like you are in psychiatric hospitals.)

HF2301 tried to ameliorate this problem by seeking funding for two peer respites, though it seems it was never picked up after 2019.

You can find the emails of the members of the Minnesota State Advisory Council of Mental Health here. I sent 'em an email already, as someone who is considering a move to MN who has multiple friends and loved ones in the state who could benefit from this service.

I think it's better if you write your own thing, but you want a template/example, here's basically what I said:

Hello, I am a(n) [MN resident/individual with loved ones in MN/concerned citizen/whatever you wanna put about yourself here]. As members of the State Advisory Council on Mental Health, I would love for you to revisit the idea of funding (a) peer-run respite house(s) in MN, as outlined in 2019's HF 2301. Peer-run respites are a homelike, cost-effective alternative to inpatient hospitalization for folks experiencing a behavioral health crisis, staffed by peers with lived experience. They are successfully run in at least 14 states and counting, and are a rising trend in the US. On average, they resulted in $2,138 lower Medicaid expenditures per month and 2.9 fewer hospitalizations for individual respite clients. (source) [feel free to put more data here if you know of any, there's a ton] There are currently zero peer-run respites in the state of Minnesota, despite the strong evidence base for peer support. I know many people who would benefit from such a service, especially individuals who do not qualify for inpatient hospitalization or would prefer a less clinical environment. [Thank you for considering/I hope you will consider this/etc] [Name]

#peer respite #peer run respite #mental health #mental health reform #psychiatric reform #minnesota #midwest #psychology #mental illness #antipsychiatry #anti psychiatry #psych reform #crisis respite center #psych ward #psych hospital

[crimeronan]

the mental health clinic i'm going to tomorrow to manage my psych meds has pretty much exclusively dogshit reviews, which is to be expected because it's a medicaid clinic. even in portland you can expect that the american healthcare system is actively trying to kill poor people, nobody hates a poor person like a mental health professional. HOWEVER since i don't actually want to develop a rapport with a therapist or say anything true in my sessions or do anything except get my prescriptions and get out, here are the BEST THINGS i've learned:

providers are so overworked they will never remember your name or your patient history

you will have a different therapist every time

you will be in a different room every time bc no one has an office

the clinic will refuse to schedule you for therapy more than once a month if you "seem functional"

former employees attest that every therapist quits within 4 months because it's such an unrelenting hellscape

former employees attest that all the policies are made by a clinic owner with no background in trauma-informed care who fucking hates high-maintenance patients and wants to get you out the door as fast as possible

former employees and clients alike attest that the only thing anybody here cares about is avoiding on-paper malpractice suits instead of providing patient care

THE ONE SAD THING I'VE LEARNED:

the main psychiatrist is catholic. and hates medication.

THE GOOD NEWS:

i am a heterosexual cisgender white woman with good heterosexual cisgender friends who loves to work hard for money and wants to settle down someday with a husband and have babies and knows SO MUCH about jesus because i love jesus and He's going to heal me :)

THE BAD NEWS:

i am protestant.

#which is to say i dont know the catholic rituals well enough to fake a catholic background. tragique. #you can laugh at this it is funny. i'm going into this with the mindset of a spy undercover in deep enemy territory #ive got my objective. ive got my role to play. i am a great actress. #and if they won't give me what i need i can just call my PCP and be like #hey my meds havent changed in seven years. can you manage them so i dont die #i feel like john mulaney in his latest special. you gotta find the lowest rated doctor to get your drugs #medical abuse #medical malpractice #psychiatric abuse #i guess #bipolar blogging #adhd tag

[rhythmic-idealist]

The shorter (better) version of this post that contains every detail ever— Some of you know my partner @crimeronan.

(This is the part where I gush about my partner. You can skip down a few paragraphs if you wanna.)

If you do know—or know of—Kitkat, you might know them as a resource, or as a writer, or as that person who has been known to sit down and write six paragraphs of advice to the scared young person in their inbox.

Watching their blog I see people trading autoimmune stories, younger queer and polyamorous people asking questions about what it's like to be in your mid twenties and settled into those things, and people who found stories who resonated in ways stories don't always succeed at.

Or maybe not! That’s my platonic partner of four years. Happy to introduce u.

(This is the part you can skip forward to.)

If you ARE aware of Kitkat, you might know a little about their running 2+ year health mystery, and about the recent updates that it is FINALLY starting to be solved. Kitkat has been too sick to work consistently for a very long time, has lost multiple freelance writing clients to ChatGPT, and has been doing physical gig delivery work to try to make up the gap—while remaining too sick to work a majority of the time.

This post exists because their car broke down.

To say the money situation is already tight would be, though I’m sorry to put it like this, understated. Basically: because of this auto repair bill, they’re not going to be able to make rent.

A little info about what we're doing moving forward: I'm gonna be moving in next month, finding a job that will train me instead of the original plan of finishing trade school first (I'm happy about this turn of events for many reasons! Just explaining where I fit in the whole financial constellation). And at that point, I'm gonna be helping with bills, since Kitkat's entire focus right now should be on getting well again. I expect we as a group will probably be okay once I’m in Oregon and more established/able to help out with the household income.

The problem is just that things aren’t there yet, and this isn't money we're going to be able to make back later. Kitkat has been too sick to work consistently for much too long, and that's just untenable without looking for community support right now.

Kitkat has limited mobility and is going to need to get to upcoming appointments, and speaking honestly, also just really needs access to a car to make things like groceries feasible. She’s not the only one in the apartment with limited mobility or chronic pain.

The bill has come out to $717.80.

As of now, rent money has been used to pay it—the car has been repaired now, but that money was for rent and daily expenses. There is already financial assistance in play, particularly Medicaid. As it stands, because of this bill, they're not going to make rent.

To account for GoFundMe's fees of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction, the goal has been set to $750.

If you’re in any way able to give, the link is here: https://gofund.me/c0f9d7fe

Otherwise, a share goes a really long way.

Thank you a ton for reading this far. Please know: this post is an appeal to those among us who have disposable income and are looking to donate some of it. Take care.

Thank you.

$1,478/750

Date posted: July 27th, 2023 Updated: August 10th, 2023 because I noticed donations are still trickling in wah??????? 🥹😭

#mutual aid #kitkat car gfm

[capricorn-0mnikorn]

What is Ableism?

 Here are 10 examples (that I’ve experienced or witnessed, as a physically disabled person) that have nothing to do with using the “Wrong Words,” or being mean:

In countdown style, but really, no particular order:

10) Strangers asking “innocent” questions, such as: “How do you go to the bathroom?” or “Do you sleep in a bed?” as openers to conversation

9) Caregivers, teachers, therapists, etc. controlling, and limiting, access to someone’s Augmented Assistive Communication technology

8) Not being allowed, as a wheelchair user, to sit next to the fire exit, because you’ll block other people’s escape

7) On a period drama on TV: the entire street has been dressed up to look right, with building facades, and lampposts accurate to the period, but no one has taken the time to disguise the wheelchair access curb cuts.

6) The city’s art museum has a grand staircase for its main entrance; If you use a wheelchair, you have to use a small door with a ramp off the back parking lot. The door is kept locked, and you have to use an intercom to call someone to unlock it, and then wait. The intercom speaker is at the height for a standing person.

5) Wait staff at a restaurant asking the normate person at the table with you what you want to eat.

4) If your wheelchair or other assistive tech breaks down, the only business allowed to fix it is the business you purchased it from. If that establishment has gone out of business, or if you have moved to a different city, you’ll have to call up your insurance company, and negotiate something (good luck!)

3) Medicare and Medicaid only paying for assistive tech if you need it for “daily activities” inside your home. “Daily activities” are limited to: Eating (but not cooking), “Toileting” (bathing and using the toilet), and transferring to and from your bed. Holding down a job outside your home, caring for children, participating in your neighborhood events, escaping your home in case of a fire, are not considered “daily activities,” and thus anything you need for those things is not covered.

2) [This happened to an online friend, years ago, who has since erased themselves from online] Emigrating to Canada for a job promotion, selling your home in the U.S., converting all your savings to Canadian dollars, only to be told you’ll never be granted citizenship, because your daughter has Down Syndrome, and will be too big a burden on their health system (The U.S and many European countries have similar policies)

1) [This was reported to me by my aide, whose other client at the time was a boy with a C.P. attending his local public school] A school policy that said that all students with an Individual Education Plan must ride to school on a segregated bus, even if they don’t need the wheelchair lift, and they enter the school through a separate door, and wait for the first bell in a separate room (but they’re following the ADA, right? ‘Cause they’re teaching the kids in the same school!)

#Ableism #what it is #list of 10 #Disability Pride Month ♿ #No - I can't just escape to Canada if this country gets worse #stop suggesting that

[emmettland]

SINCE I WILL HAVE THIS JOB SOON...

i wanted to let my clients know that i will STILL be working on commissions, and still plan on opening them up again when all of my current commissions are done. i don't have a specific order yet, but i know i will be starting @pikanyachu's commish once Calico's is done.

when i have my work schedule, i will use my off days to do commission, Ko-Fi, and webcomic work. i've already let them know i can't work Thursdays because that's my therapy day, and i can't work more than 30 hours a week due to Medicaid. so i'll still have plenty of time for freelance work.

#emmett speaks

[bakafox]

At wit's end

So the state of NM is way behind processing all benefits, my friend Roz who moved here to get away from shitty memories and red state blues and help be my caregiver is in extremely dire circumstances because their applications for medicaid and SNAP have not been processed, and the caregiving placement agency just can not find them a client that gives the hours they need with any regularity- the clients keep winding up in the hospital for long periods every month and my friend of course does not get paid if they are not working because the client is in the hospitals.

They are looking into other agencies and into other jobs they can handle with their disabilities, but they've reached a point where this month and then particularly next month they just can't pay bills and get enough food, even hitting the food bank for the monthly box, with SNAP not processing for them.

(And I can't help any more myself since *my* fucking SNAP hasn't been processed and renewed.)

If you have anything you can spare, Roz is a great person, and they're helping me a shit ton by acting as my caregiver- they're also the friend that gave me a place to stay after my mom died.

I just also don't have enough hours allotted where working for me pays their bills or gets them enough food, and they are going to wind up in danger of losing their house if this keeps up- and are already missing a bunch of their medications since medicaid hasn't processed via the state and they're also having to jump through the hoops to try getting on federal disability while the state dropped the ball hard.

[email protected] is their paypal address.

#crowdfunding

[fledglingmaster]

I'm not at 100% but I am on the mend. I drone on under the cut. I mean I really do. If you read thank you, if not it helps just to get everything out. My dental care the past year has been seriously traumatic.

I had an inflamed tooth that was extracted yesterday. After needing to be extracted for a week. I have medication for pain and infection. Though opioids never seem to help much. Last night I was able to get some sleep and I can chew again. My body has a lot to repair still.

This experience was a blessing in disguise, as odd as it may sound. For those who don't know, I am disabled. Sadly not in the legal sense. I can't get government support, yet I can't work a steady job because of my conditions. To put it plainly, I'm broke and must take what is given. I was without health insurance for a few years before I got medicaid. Medicaid does provide dental care, that is if you can find someone that takes it and is accepting new clients. It took over a year to find someone that was willing to take me on.

My current dentist has been a nightmare. The receptionist is obviously someone who has never struggled with money or her health. The queen bee type even though she must be in her 40s, low-key Karen. She treats everyone as if they are stupid and is extremely judgemental. Though not a major problem, dealing with her reminds me of all the girls that bullied me in my school years. That's still a sore spot for me.

The dental assistant can't take a proper x-ray. I'm not exaggerating when I say every x-ray needs at least 4 attempts. One time it took 7 tries. There is a major communication issue. I spent 15 minutes on the phone with her explaining that my filling fell out and that I can see the hole in my tooth. I don't know what she wrote down but no one knew I was coming in to have a filling redone. She is the go between for the front desk and the doctor and no one knows what's really going on. Every time I have work done she about waterboards me. She also is out of synch with the doctor. The doctor has to prompt her and even then sometimes she doesn't do what she needs to. They usually fight with each other. She is a nice person, but I feel she isn't qualified to do what she's doing.

The doctor is...something. When she isn't doing work on me she is okay and listens to me. When she's doing work she's no non-sense, which I respect, but it doesn't help my anxiety. She tells me to not fight her and to keep my head still. (I'm sorry, I can't breathe and I'm trying to not die but okay. Besides I barely moved, but now you can't see what you're doing because this place is lit worse than Dracula's castle.) She has me bend my neck back in an unnatural position that makes it difficult to breathe. I'm getting blasted with water going down my throat. I'm not completely numbed out, yet I get trigeminal neuralgia that I have to deal with for a week. (That has happened twice.) My tongue will be cut and/or burnt. I've had my lip and chin sliced as well. The entire time I feel like she's either going to yell at me or give up and say, "I can't work on you." I'm good at reading people and I can sense her frustration.

As mentioned, the lighting in there is terrible. The overhead light isn't adjustable or very bright. The chair doesn't allow for the head to gently fall back, hence the awkward pinch neck/pinned back head position that you have to hold. They don't let me see my x-rays or explain things in layman's terms. I haven't memorized teeth numbers as I didn't know that was a skill I needed. They can't seem to say 1st molar on the bottom left, just tooth 19 and I'm supposed to know which one that is. Communication over all is poor. They don't offer a print out of treatment plans so I can just figure it out myself. Their x-rays can't tell them if I need a root canal done on teeth or not. Which reminds me, they don't do root canals because they don't have the machine. They're impossible to get a hold of, they literally don't answer the phone. You have to leave a message and wait for them to get back to you. They don't have an emergency line meanwhile they are closed friday-sunday. Every time I go there I leave feeling stupid, worthless, and ugly. But, they're the only place I can go to for free and I have a lot of dental issues. End background origin.

So less than a year ago I had a filling done. It never sat right, it was overfilled, it hurt, eventually there was a gap, in Dec it fell out, 1 out of 10 bad. They had to redo it and made it sound like it was my fault it fell out. As they worked on me the tool broke. It was an interchangeable part but the new piece didn't fit. So they had to try to get the old one to work again, which they did. But if they couldn't get it working I guess I would just have to deal with an even bigger hole in my tooth for who knows how long. They told me if the pain lasts longer than 2 weeks to tell them. 2 weeks go by and I'm feeling pretty good. Slight soreness, but for a deep filling seems okay. 2 weeks and 3 days later, oh this actually hurts...but it is a major filling, the other one was like this and the pain went away after a few additional weeks. I thought it was part of the healing process as I've heard deep fillings take longer to heal and can be more painful than small ones. A couple more days, holy shit this pain is bad! I need my tooth pulled! I call and get no response, I email and get nothing, I even showed up in person and they were closed. Which is why I didn't get a response. It was during business hours on thursday. They're going to be closed all weekend. I considered going to the ER, but there isn't much they can do besides pain meds while there and antibiotics. I'm in the worst pain of my life. (This is coming from someone who walked on a broken foot for a month before finally admitting to myself it was broke and I should get medical help. I know pain.) Not only that I am worried about infection.

My mom gets and pays for my appointment at a local dentist for the following day as they do emergency appointments even for new clients. They happen to be running a deal this month and the cost ends up $19 for a full consult and extensive x-rays. Which they want to do before doing any work, understandable. Everyone there is pleasant, there's zero judgement. The place is well lit, too bright for me but absolutely needed for them. There is laughing and jokes between the staff. I get my x-rays first. None of them had to be redone. They also can tell which teeth need root canals. Everyone there listened to me and was sympathetic. When I told them my dentist didn't do root canals they were shocked. They showed me my x-rays and explained exactly what was going on with all of my teeth using layman's terms. They gave me multiple options far as saving teeth vs extractions. I told them with how much work was done on the one tooth and how much it hurt, I just wanted it gone. I was reassured that missing one tooth shouldn't cause me problems and all my bottom teeth looked good. They didn't mention how they were overcrowded, just they were healthy. They talked about my top teeth...yeah a lot of work still on those. But they can give me my smile back. I had a couple accidents which have cost me 2 teeth already, a baby tooth that needs to go, and now a days 3 that have major cavities that I could lose. All of which is, well depressing, but I was aware of it all already so it wasn't a shock. A lot of factors have gone in to my teeth but many people see missing teeth and judge. Even if they didn't I feel ugly. The past three years I haven't smiled much and I avoid photos to the point that people comment how great I am at dodging photos. My grandma felt bad and was willing to pay for an implant for my front tooth. Though I still would be missing a lot and thus still feel unattractive. For around the same price I can get a partial denture and have all my missing teeth filled in. My other dentist never gave me that option and wanted to push a bridge that would cost that only covered some of the back teeth. I already planned to go back just for the partial at some point but the extraction sealed the deal.

While they don't take medicaid, they do have a discount program that has a yearly fee of a little over $100. I signed up and already saved $330 on the extraction. Technically $230 if you subtract the yearly fee. It will knock down the price of the denture too. All work gets a discount. It's not free but it's about as cheap as you can get.

Extraction day I'm numbed out and wow am I numb! It's then that it hits me. I never felt that numb for work at the other dentist even with them doing more shots than what was done there. The chair lets my head fall back and I don't have to do the kink neck thing. I can breathe normally. They move the light and it adjusts. It's blindingly bright and they give me sunglasses to wear. The two of them moved so well together I could swear the doctor just had four hands. Anytime he said he needed a tool or suction, she had it covered. She did spurts of water and suctioned it out, none went down my throat. He kept telling me how good I was doing. He apologized a few times and when I alerted him to my tmj hurting on the opposite side he supported my jaw. I know my head moved just because of the force of everything. That wasn't an issue for them. Zero injuries to my tongue or face. Unfortunately, I did still have pain, but I know without a doubt I had the least amount of pain possible. He asked if I wanted any meds, another thing that my other dentist never offers. They are open more hours AND they have an emergency line that can be called.

It was night and day. I felt safe and I was treated like a human being. I will have to talk to my grandma and see if she will support me in getting most of my work done there. I will use the other place to get my two crowns covered and an easy extraction, the baby tooth, then goodbye forever. It's like feeling real love after being in an abusive relationship. I can't believe how I was treated. Maybe if I was in prison I could understand it. Even then I think it's still inhumane. I got a deep cleaning done at the new place as well as some preventative care. There are so many more people there and all of them are friendly and caring. 10/10

I cancelled my cleaning for the other dentist and they got back to me instantly. Hmm...okay, you don't like me cancellin, yet you don't do anything to keep me around. They actually got back to me the night before my extraction. While I was waiting on them I got antibiotics and an appointment for the extraction within a few days. I'm sure with them it would have been a week or more I'd have to deal with the pain.

This discount thing I have apparently has something with vision care as well. My eye care is a very similar story...I should see if walmart takes it because I went to them for years and never had an issue. Well besides the air puff machine punching my eye. That was a one-off thing. This other place, nothing but problems. When you have medicaid you're treated like shit. At least my doctor-doctors and specialists are all wonderful.

#personal #american dental care #let me complain #it's been a rough month #bad dentist: the novel

[heartfucksmouth]

a lot of people have been talking about how disabled people aren't allowed to marry if they are on SSDI, lest they lose their benefits and have to become their spouse's dependent and sole responsibility. there are other things that seem absurd and discriminatory, like the limits on bank account totals, never being able to save for big ticket items like a house or even a new car....

but I haven't seen a single person talk about Estate Recovery. and it happened to my parents when my sister died. she was 23, disabled (spina bifida) and had just died in a fucking apartment fire (she lived on her own in a 55+ community bc it was accomodating for her wheelchair - and because she deserved independence!), and Medicaid had the audacity to send a request to my parents that they pay back hundreds of thousands of dollars that masshealth had paid for my sister's medical needs.

sounds fake? it's not.

there's LAWS requiring they "get their money back" once the insurance client dies.

nobody tells you that having medicaid is essentially a fucking LOAN service to pay your medical needs while you are poor and disabled, and your surviving family members can get burdened with debt when you pass away.

My 2023 member handbook for Commonwealth Care Alliance (a program where they combine your Masshealth and Medicare together) has a paragraph on the first page in bold about "Estate Recovery Awareness" and I was like "holy shit this is a real and common occurrence". I really thought it was some kind of fucking fluke when they did that to my parents.

#personal #estate recovery #disability rights #disability justice #disability activism #ableism

[ctbraininjurysupportservice-blog]

Brain Injury Day Groups: Beneficial to Healthcare Agencies or Harming Clients?

This article explores the potential benefits and drawbacks of brain injury day groups for managing and rehabilitating individuals with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), while also assessing their impact on healthcare agencies and clients. While day groups can offer cost-effective and streamlined care, they may overlook individual needs and cause harm, necessitating a delicate balance between group-based care and individualized support. This article delves into these issues and highlights the importance of considering each client's unique needs to ensure optimal rehabilitation outcomes.

ABI Resources is a reputable organization that provides exceptional support to individuals and families in collaboration with various government agencies and community service providers, including the Connecticut Department of Social Services DSS, COU Community Options, the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services DMHAS, Connecticut Community Care CCC CCCI Southwestern Connecticut Area on Aging SWCAA, Western Connecticut Area on Aging WCAAA, Allied Community Resources ACR, Access Health, and United Services. ABI Resources collaborates care with renowned institutions such as UCONN, Yale, and Hartford. As a community care and supported living provider, ABI Resources is dedicated to offering high-quality and personalized care to enhance the lives of those it serves. Medicaid MFP Money Follows the person program / ABI Waiver Program / PCA waiver.

https://twitter.com/ABIresources

#Brain Injury Day Groups: Beneficial to Healthcare Agencies or Harming Clients? #https://www.ctbraininjury.com/post/balancing-benefits-drawbacks-brain-injury-day-groups #This article explores the potential benefits and drawbacks of brain injury day groups for managing and rehabilitating individuals with trau #while also assessing their impact on healthcare agencies and clients. While day groups can offer cost-effective and streamlined care #they may overlook individual needs and cause harm #necessitating a delicate balance between group-based care and individualized support. This article delves into these issues and highlights #ABI Resources is a reputable organization that provides exceptional support to individuals and families in collaboration with various gover #including the Connecticut Department of Social Services DSS #COU Community Options #the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services DMHAS #Connecticut Community Care CCC CCCI Southwestern Connecticut Area on Aging SWCAA #Western Connecticut Area on Aging WCAAA #Allied Community Resources ACR #Access Health #and United Services. ABI Resources collaborates care with renowned institutions such as UCONN #Yale #and Hartford. As a community care and supported living provider #ABI Resources is dedicated to offering high-quality and personalized care to enhance the lives of those it serves. Medicaid MFP Money Follo #https://twitter.com/ABIresources #https://www.facebook.com/ABIresourcesCT #https://www.instagram.com/a.b.i._resources/ #https://www.pinterest.com/ABIARTCTMFP/pins/ #https://www.flickr.com/photos/tbi_connecticut_brain_injury/

[tieflingkisser]

Emergency rooms refused to treat pregnant women, leaving one to miscarry in a lobby restroom

One woman miscarried in the lobby restroom of a Texas emergency room as front desk staff refused to check her in. Another woman learned that her fetus had no heartbeat at a Florida hospital, the day after a security guard turned her away from the facility. And in North Carolina, a woman gave birth in a car after an emergency room couldn’t offer an ultrasound. The baby later died. Complaints that pregnant women were turned away from U.S. emergency rooms spiked in 2022 after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, federal documents obtained by The Associated Press reveal. The cases raise alarms about the state of emergency pregnancy care in the U.S., especially in states that enacted strict abortion laws and sparked confusion around the treatment doctors can provide.

[...]

Pregnant patients have “become radioactive to emergency departments” in states with extreme abortion restrictions, said Sara Rosenbaum, a George Washington University health law and policy professor. “They are so scared of a pregnant patient, that the emergency medicine staff won’t even look. They just want these people gone,” Rosenbaum said. Consider what happened to a woman who was nine months pregnant and having contractions when she arrived at the Falls Community Hospital in Marlin, Texas, in July 2022, a week after the Supreme Court’s ruling on abortion. The doctor on duty refused to see her. “The physician came to the triage desk and told the patient that we did not have obstetric services or capabilities,” hospital staff told federal investigators during interviews, according to documents. “The nursing staff informed the physician that we could test her for the presence of amniotic fluid. However, the physician adamantly recommended the patient drive to a Waco hospital.” Investigators with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services concluded Falls Community Hospital broke the law.

[...]

At Sacred Heart Emergency Center in Houston, front desk staff refused to check in one woman after her husband asked for help delivering her baby that September. She miscarried in a restroom toilet in the emergency room lobby while her husband called 911 for help. “She is bleeding a lot and had a miscarriage,” the husband told first responders in his call, which was transcribed from Spanish in federal documents. “I’m here at the hospital but they told us they can’t help us because we are not their client.” Emergency crews, who arrived 20 minutes later and transferred the woman to a hospital, appeared confused over the staff’s refusal to help the woman, according to 911 call transcripts. One first responder told federal investigators that when a Sacred Heart Emergency Center staffer was asked about the gestational age of the fetus, the staffer replied: “No, we can’t tell you, she is not our patient. That’s why you are here.”

#abortion #reproductive justice #usa #news

[druid-for-hire]

Hi. I'm so sorry for bothering you:c but I really need all the help I can get. I have a chronic heart condition that doesn't allow me to work my regular hours. Things got serious pretty fast and suddenly, I wasn't able to pay rent. I got evicted 10 days ago, and I'm trying to raise funds to pay off what I owe to my landlord and avoid getting sued, and hopefully find a little place while I get back on my feet.

You think you could help me reblogging my pinned post to spread the word a bit? Thank you so much in advance. And I'm truly, very sorry for having to recur to this.

For other people's sakes, this is their pinned post. I took a scroll through their blog and they don't appear to be a bot; the blog goes a decent way back and posts semi-regularly.

My kind friend, Tumblr is not a good place to crowdfund. It works sometimes, but not reliably. (EDIT: Redacted a bit about reddit boards. They exist, but they need a lot of prerequisites.) In the event that you haven't been able to go looking yet, there are likely also real life, more local, more direct resources out there to help you hidden out of sight. There's a post on this topic, but I'll cut for you the relevant parts (paging through the notes will also probably be useful):

From @/euphoniousracouter:

GO TO, MESSAGE, OR CALL YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY. Libraries are focusing more and more on community resources, support, and outreach. If you genuinely don’t know something or feel uncertain or are in a new situation, a reference librarian will not only help you sort your thoughts through their reference interview but then help you arm yourself with knowledge from reliable and often local sources. It doesn’t even have to be a question to Ask A Librarian. You can simply say “I’m in this situation now. I don’t know what to do next./I’m not confident I know everything I should or want to know.”

From @/dancinbutterfly:

If you're in America, 211 is your friend. It’s the United Way’s database of social assistance resources. When I was doing resource development for my masters in social work 211 was my holy grail. And there’s things that only workers know about that just calling and asking can reach cuz it sets off the social service phone tree. I will say YOU have to be persistent of you want to access these resources. Most of the ngo agencies are most interested in helping the pro-active clients in my experience. But do use the resources. They’re golden.

From @/macaronsandfries:

Also, if you’re in the US: call your State Rep. Part of their job is to help constituents access and navigate state run programs, such as EBT/SNAP, unemployment, housing assistance, and medicaid.

Not all offices are equally responsive (some try really hard to stay on top of incoming calls but are overwhelmed, and some…are not great at checking messages, tbh). But if you can get through to a person (almost always an aide/staffer), they will talk through the issue with you and do what they can to help.

You don’t need to know what programs are applicable to you, they’ll help connect you with appropriate people (including Federal programs if necessary – those offices are hard to get through to, but if you need something like Federal ID docs changed, see if going through your State Rep helps move things along)

afaik some of these are sadly not as immediate as these emergencies tend to be, but they're out there, and hopefully these help. Crowdfunding is still an answer that you have a right to take. Good luck and be well.

#mutual aid #druid speaks #i've left this public in the case that this becomes useful for more than one person #edited for some kinder wording