May I ask, why would you not be on Medicare with Social Security- Disability? With a full time care requirement to get out of bed or use the restroom, it would seem like you should easily qualify for those programs.
Because I am employed full time, I’m not eligible for SSD or Medicare. And actually, anyone who need full-time care at home (called Home and Community Based Services, or HCBS) gets those services through Medicaid, not Medicare. You can be dually enrolled in both Medicare AND Medicaid, but Medicare alone doesn’t provide long term HCBS services.
I'm so mad when people just broadly say to cut things like Medicaid because the scope of what they cover is so far beyond what people think. It gives you a quality of life that just isn't obtainable without it. Even the very wealthy would become poor if they had to pay out of pocket for what your expenses would be without it for as long as you need it!
Thank you so much for sharing your story, Heather. I know every state differs in how they run their MEdicaid program, but it seems they are all similar in that it is a nightmare of red tape.
I listened to James last year AND LOVED the audiobook. I loved it so much, I went back to read the book recently. A masterpiece. I hope it wins a Pulitzer.
Thanks once again for your honesty and vulnerability. Your writing is engaging and powerful. I have a niece with severe mental illness who is on medicaid, so I am somewhat familiar with the HUGE benefits and sometimes mind boggling bureaucracy.
May I ask, why would you not be on Medicare with Social Security- Disability? With a full time care requirement to get out of bed or use the restroom, it would seem like you should easily qualify for those programs.
Because I am employed full time, I’m not eligible for SSD or Medicare. And actually, anyone who need full-time care at home (called Home and Community Based Services, or HCBS) gets those services through Medicaid, not Medicare. You can be dually enrolled in both Medicare AND Medicaid, but Medicare alone doesn’t provide long term HCBS services.
I'm so mad when people just broadly say to cut things like Medicaid because the scope of what they cover is so far beyond what people think. It gives you a quality of life that just isn't obtainable without it. Even the very wealthy would become poor if they had to pay out of pocket for what your expenses would be without it for as long as you need it!
Thank you for speaking up!
Thank you so much for sharing your story, Heather. I know every state differs in how they run their MEdicaid program, but it seems they are all similar in that it is a nightmare of red tape.
I listened to James last year AND LOVED the audiobook. I loved it so much, I went back to read the book recently. A masterpiece. I hope it wins a Pulitzer.
Thanks once again for your honesty and vulnerability. Your writing is engaging and powerful. I have a niece with severe mental illness who is on medicaid, so I am somewhat familiar with the HUGE benefits and sometimes mind boggling bureaucracy.
'James' is a great book.
Have a good week.