short update on my husband

[dreamer]

Not much news. This hospital thinks the medications are breaking up plaque that breaks off and then gets stuck. He caught up on sleep last nite, looks pink instead of ash gray again. Our food poisoning is passing (YAY!) He sees his cardio doctor Tuesday.

Many hugs and thank yous to you all here. I could not have been more calm & organized dureing the crisis but once things were on track, I got overwhelmed by my family.- my extended family. I shouldnt let it bother me, they outcast me years ago....but, I was down so it did bother me. My kids were great.

Yes Going North, I am certain you know where I live, & yes Midwestmom, I am not far from you at all or your daughter.

I dont do telephone very well, I suspect my hearing is not what it once was, but I never was a phone person...& cells are so little, LOL- hard for me to grasp & hold. The smallness of my house & the noise level never helps either. LOL. a couple people stopped by my FB and left me messages. I am grateful and thankful for everyones love here. It helped a LOT. HUGS and thanks!!!!!!

 

[house of cards]

I am sorry to learn of you husband's health problems. I'm glad he has some color back and I hope he continues to improve. You both are in my thoughts.

 

[maril]

It's good to hear your husband is improving (pink is good!) and I hope he continues to do so.

What a blessing to have children like yours, especially at a time like this. It means so much, as you know well.

 

[GoingNorth]

Dreamer, if he's throwing plaque clots like that; I'm wondering if it might be worthwhile to have a Greenfield Filter put in (filter inserted into the circulatory system to catch clots and plaque debris)

husband had one and it's an outpatient procedure that went off very smoothly. Having repeated coronary episodes due to "plaque breaking up" seems rather a cavalier attitude to me.

 

[TerryJ2]

I'm so glad his color is back. That is great news.

I agree with-GoingNorth. I didn't know that's what they were called, but I've known several people who have had them and they work. Have the doctors suggested it?

 

[dreamer]

I plan to ask the cardio about something like that- a filter. I have NO ideaa WHY they didnt do it already? The VA health system is not the greatest......:-( He got multiple stents in august & we had to get pretty ....assertive....and loud..............to get the Plavix the hospital said needs to be taken with the type stents they put in husband. BUT hes been waiting years for his anngio or bypass.........grr...........if theyd have done that the first time husband was IN patient to have it done......maybe this would not be happening either. But VA is the only coverage he has.

 

[Hound dog]

Glad husband seems to be doing better. I hope it continues.

 

[DammitJanet]

Im probably ignorant on this aspect and you and GN can probably educate me on this, but why cant he apply for and receive both VA and SSDI at the same time? He worked, at least as a military person. I dont know if he worked prior to being in the military. Or after.

Is there a rule that people can only have one or the other but not both?

 

[GoingNorth]

Up until the late seventies, military folks did not pay into FICA, hence were ineligible for SSDI unless they worked enough quarters as civilians.

That said, it is certainly possible to collect SSDI while collecting a VA disability pension. husband did so for several years. His illness was caused by military service (toxin exposure in Desert Storm) and he worked enough time as a civilian before getting too sick, that he had his quarters in for SSDI as well.

The application process is the same as for anyone applying for SSDI. I see no reason why your husband couldn't collect SSI based on inability to work. SSI would also qualify him for medicaid.

Medicaid and Medicare can be combined with ChampVA or TriCare, etc., for full coverage.

For example: I draw a widow's pension from the VA and have ChampVA medication ins. I also draw SSDI and have Medicare. The whole thing works just like any shared coverage works. Medicare is my part A and part B carrier. ChampVA is my supplemental and also my part D (drugs) provider.

 

[dreamer]

Yes my husband does get ssdi & has Medicare, for all the good it does.but supporting the whole family - he goes to VA facilities for his healthcare. Yes, I have ChampVA...& Medicare, difficult child does, too. Finding providers? Ha. Yeah.

 

[DammitJanet]

Really? Medicare providers are that hard to find for you? Wow. I only have problems with odd things but not normal, regular healthcare.

 

[GoingNorth]

Sadly, Dreamer, in your area I am not all that surprised. I live in a town of about 8K people and I've never had a problem with either ChampVA or Medicare being accepted. On a couple of occasions I have had to pay claims and submit them myself, but for the most part it just works like any other combined ins.

I HAVE had to walk people through the ChampVA website to process claims on a few occasions, but that's about it.

The issue that can arise is that Medicare pays a set amount for specific services, as does ChampVA. You can wind up paying a copay for what ChampVA and Medicare do not cover.

I would seriously write a letter to your Congressman/woman and aprise them of the situation. ANY facility getting any state or federal funding, cannot refuse to treat Medicare patients.

 

[DammitJanet]

Seriously GN! Someone needs to clean up that area pronto. It is absurd for people with insurance even if it is, VA,Medicare or Medicaid to be untreated.

 

[GoingNorth]

Janet, Dreamer lives in an area where providers are few and far between. And, they call it "private practice" for a reason. A doctor who is not linked to a clinic(that accepts gov't ins) does not have to take insurance of any kind.

The objection to ChampVA and Medicare/Medicaid is that they don't pay as much and they take forever to pay.

Areas with higher income residents are much more likely to have gov't insurance accepted in cases where resources are limited.

But like I said; the only problems I have had have been in explaining how to bill the two insurance companies (Medicare is primary and ChampVA is secondary) and on a couple of occasions having to show someone how to walk through the website.

Medicaid basically works the same except it covers dental as well. I am told, however, that dentists accepting Medicaid are few and far between, especially pediatric dentists.

I don't have dental coverage through either VA or Medicare, so I have to pay for dental services (and woo boy am I paying!)

 

[dreamer]

Midwestmom, If I had a penny for every person I know who moved over the border from me to you SPECIFICALLY for medical help - Id be a rich person.

Dental on Medicaid is a bad joke here. When my kids were younger, well, me & husband on Medicare.the kids for a while had no insurance, becuz our soc sec put us just a couple dollars above the income cutoff for them to get Medicaid.then they did get Medicaide thru Kidcare.& yeah they technically had dental. we drove 200 miles......to a much less affluent area, much less populated.and only 1 of my kids could be seen per month. Then, our school had a dental school student come visit our public school for checks of the kids teeth- and whoa was I angry. It was a week after one of my kids had been to the Medicaide dentist, but the dental school student called cps for dental/medical neglect. Apparently the Medicaide dentist didnt REALLY do anything, just sat the kids in a chair, poked around and grabbed the little money Medicaide paid.

Grandson is going to be a year old in 2 weeks. medicaide still has not covered ANY of the preg bills....PCs credit rateing is trashed, ALL thhose bills, from her hyperemesis, IVs inpatient stays & liver issues from preg all still remain unpaid by Medicaide. IF she pays anything on those bills, Medicaide will not reimburse. If she doesnt pay, the providers refuse to see you in their offices becuz of outstanding unpaid balances. So yuou land in the ER. BUT the ER has you sign & acknowledge they ONLY stabilize and do not diagnosis or treat except treatment to stabilize......they recently do not even set a broken bone. They send you to the ortho---& all the orthos decline gov ins.

Yes, I walk providers thru ChampVA- guilt them into accepting it and being a provider......but once they find out how little they get.....(its very similar to Medicare) they get discouraged and ....suddenly theres no available appointments etc when you try to get in.

As for husband.........the VA takes care of him.....in an emergency they are supposed to ay where ever he does go but............VA so far has paid nothing for his heart attack in Aug...........not a penny yet. In a smaller town where the ambulances budgets are not large.......well, some of our smaller towns in our county has closed their emergency services becuz they simply have no money to run ambulances firetrucks police cars etc. Now those small towns use county services, & their wait time for help in an emergency is MUCH longer. Not good in a true critical emergency. My town still has adequete paramedics, firetrucks & police. whew.