Insurance Vs. No Insurance - Anyone know....

RN0441

100% better than I was but not at 100% yet
I believe my son is using MY insurance to get benzos from doctors. We want this to stop but yet we want him to have insurance for rehab.

He is able to stay on my insurance until he is 26 years old.

My husband mentioned taking him off and letting him go on Welfare. Is that even an option? Has anyone done this?

We want him to stop getting pills! I know I can't be the only parent with this problem.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Medicaid will not stop him from getting prescription benzos. They are pretty mainstream and if the doctor doesnt know about abuse, they are often prescribed. I take about 1 ml. Of Clonazapan a day. Medicaid paid for it until I recently was able to get regular insurance.

Another thing is that benzos and opiates are big street drugs. He WILL use them until he doesnt want to. You do not have any control over that. I think you still think or hope or pray there is a way you can cut him off. I get the fear and desire. I shared it once.

If he has no job he will steal or start to sell drugs for drug money (my daughter says if you use, you sell), or he will find Walmart receipts and return items he didnt buy. Destitute homeless people find ways to buy drugs. They will panhandle. They have no shame while using.

It is 100% out of our hands. 100%. I was shocked at what my daughter did while using drugs, but she didnt share until she quit. Then it was too much information, but she was compelled to tell all...very hard to hear.

I honestly dont mean to sound harsh, but taking his insurance away is not a solution. The solution lies with him. He is not going to quit drugs if you take his insurance away. I doubt he only gets drugs from doctors.

I am sorry to have to have posted this. You sound desperate and I get it. We all want to think that we as parents can make an impact on our drug addicted dear children. But we cant. Only they can. Even rehabs can not make them quit. You see this.

I hope you can calm down and find some peace today, letting go of this drama at least for a while. Go out with hub? He is not the bad guy here. He is hurting too. Comfort each other and stay well...please.
 
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KTMom91

Well-Known Member
I haven't been in your situation, RN, but I would take him off and let him figure it out. In a real emergency, he can go to most hospitals even if he is without insurance, and they will still treat him. He can always let the county eat the bill - did that several times in my younger days - no insurance, working part time, full time student, and completely out of other options. I'm not sure if medical debt goes on your credit report, but that's the least of his worries right now.

He might be eligible for state insurance, but is he considered a resident of Florida? When Miss KT went to college in Oregon, she maintained her California residency until she graduated and got married. If he hasn't changed his ID and things over, he may still be considered a resident of your state and not eligible for state sponsored programs in Florida.

Find out when your open enrollment is, and then make the decision. Hugs. I can't imagine how difficult this is for you and your Hubby.
 

RN0441

100% better than I was but not at 100% yet
Thanks.

I know he can get them on the street but the last two prior times he got benzos from a doctor. I do not know about this latest time yet.

I know that can't stop him we were thinking of a way to stop the cycle. If he can get it from Medicaid then forget that idea.

I don't want to do anything drastic. Yes you feel desperate going through this. That is an understatment.

Good point KT. He has been there 1.5 years and does have a Florida license but who knows what the requirements are and I'm too tired to research it.

We found we have a Groupon to use so we're going for Mexican food tonight. I may just have a margarita and say the hell with it!
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Not only can he get it from Medicaid, but our co-pay was only $1. Welfare means they qualify for Medicaid which covers almost everything 100%. I am kind of sorry we no longer qualify for it.

Not a solution.

Enjoy the Mexican food...and rhe Marguirita!!
 

pasajes4

Well-Known Member
I have to agree with SWOT on this one. I have a "friend who is on Medicad and is addicted to pain medications she has no problem getting them.
 

Lil

Well-Known Member
So the margarita was good and very pretty but didn't have any booze in it!
:angrydude:

Well what's the point in that?

RN you might be able to take him off the prescription coverage and keep the other medical coverage. I know that sometimes they are separate...might not hurt to ask the company. That way he could still get the benefits for the rehab, etc., but not be able to fill a prescription.

Have you tried calling the insurance company and asking them if there's anything they can do? I mean, they don't want to pay any more than they have to...so maybe they have a way of flagging the coverage or something, that would alert a pharmacy not to fill a prescription for benzos.

By the same token...I think SWOT is right. I think he'll find some way to get them regardless. But at least you won't be footing the bill for it.
 

RN0441

100% better than I was but not at 100% yet
Well what's the point in that?

RN you might be able to take him off the prescription coverage and keep the other medical coverage. I know that sometimes they are separate...might not hurt to ask the company. That way he could still get the benefits for the rehab, etc., but not be able to fill a prescription.

Have you tried calling the insurance company and asking them if there's anything they can do? I mean, they don't want to pay any more than they have to...so maybe they have a way of flagging the coverage or something, that would alert a pharmacy not to fill a prescription for benzos.

By the same token...I think SWOT is right. I think he'll find some way to get them regardless. But at least you won't be footing the bill for it.

Thanks to all. Yes Lil I did call and they said all or nothing so.....that won't work. I'm not ready to take him off the insurance totally...yet.

I may get there or I may not. I just have to do what I can do. I know you all know how that goes.
 

Lil

Well-Known Member
I may get there or I may not. I just have to do what I can do. I know you all know how that goes.

I understand completely. I fully intend to keep my son covered for as long as the law allows. I really thought I was wasting my money because he never uses it...then last month he went to a doctor for something and he ended up getting a bill for only $7.00 because we'd met our family deductible. So it was a benefit to him and just not that much of an expense for me. I'll let him keep it as long as I can.
 

RN0441

100% better than I was but not at 100% yet
Yes no where near ready to do that. I may get there someday but not yet.

Murphy's law dictates that after I did that something would happen and I'd be sorry!!
 

Kathy813

Well-Known Member
Staff member
My advice is to keep him on your insurance. If he wants benzos, he can get them very cheaply even if he doesn't have insurance. I know if is horrible to think that you are "helping" him get them but having insurance will also "help" him get treatment when he decides he wants it.

When my daughter went to her 3-month program in Florida, she didn't have insurance because she had aged out of our insurance and this was before the ACA. We paid over $60,000 out of our retirement money. After the ACA was passed, she was able to go to multiple inpatient rehabs and they accepted what the insurance would cover so there was no out-of-pocket for us. It took five times but I truly believe that the treatment programs helped a little bit each time.

Honestly, I don't think anyone should be without insurance. Without getting political, I credit the ACA with saving my daughter's life.

by the way, medicaid is very hard to get. If you make even a small amount of money each month, a single person is not eligible. I looked into it for my daughter and she didn't qualify. Another thing to consider is that Florida did not expand medicaid so your son would probably fall in the medicaid gap and end up making too much for medicaid and too little for the ACA subsidies so he would end up with no insurance at all. My daughter fell into that gap when she was living in Florida and lost her full time job and was working at a part time job.

~Kathy
 
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BusynMember

Well-Known Member
It is hard to get. I got it due to disability. Wisconsin didnt expand either. God help people with nothing if the ACA is actually repealed.

But benzos are cheap and all over the streets.
 

svengandhi

Well-Known Member
In my state, there is now electronic prescribing so the pharmacies see what has been ordered. You can also call the insurance company and see if he can be banned from getting benzos.
 

Enmeshedmom

Active Member
I believe my son is using MY insurance to get benzos from doctors. We want this to stop but yet we want him to have insurance for rehab.

He is able to stay on my insurance until he is 26 years old.

My husband mentioned taking him off and letting him go on Welfare. Is that even an option? Has anyone done this?

We want him to stop getting pills! I know I can't be the only parent with this problem.
Where there is a will, there is always a way. I did everything under the sun to try to stop my son from smoking pot. And before he got a drivers license I may have succeeded in at least keeping him from being a daily smoker. But of course once he got his license at 18 I think he just started making up for lost time. Benzo addiction is really scary I know. My brother started with them when a friends mom gave him some of her husbands prescription because he was having severe anxiety and we never had insurance growing up.
 
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