For disabled, two-year wait for Medicare 'devastating'

[Lone_Star_Dem]

On her good days, Metta Johnson can sit by a friend's pool and enjoy the sun. On her bad days, the 61-year-old Dallas woman with severe arthritis can do little more than lie in bed, writhing from the pain.

But whatever each morning brings her, Johnson at least knows she's one day closer to receiving Medicare and the health care she hopes will improve her life.

Besides covering 38 million Americans 65 and older, Medicare helps pay for the health care of more than 7 million younger Americans who suffer from significant disabilities.

Under current law, however, those with disabilities aren't eligible for Medicare until two years after they begin receiving Social Security disability insurance checks. Johnson is one of 1.8 million disabled Americans in that two-year waiting period.


Read the rest of the article here: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/071909dnbuswaiting.40c929a.html

[aquart]

1. We have some of the stupidest laws on the planet.

Shame on us.

[rockymountaindem]

2. And the claim that we have the "best health care system on earth" becomes more laughable by the day

Ugh.

[dysfunctional press]

3. i survived the wait.

"those with disabilities aren't eligible for Medicare until two years after they begin receiving Social Security disability insurance checks."

ultimately, i only had to wait two months from when my disability was approved, to start medicare- because my approval was retro-active by almost two years.

[Mojorabbit]

14. Same here. nt

[Roon]

4. I remember getting my Medicare two years after being approved

for disability.I only had to wait 3 months before I started to collect social security so it wasn't that long. Not much changed,thanks to ADAP and the Ryan White fund, I got all my medical care and meds for free. The only thing that changed was the paperwork.

[hobbit709]

5. Friend of mine went through that

Unable to walk except in excruciating pain until she got her hip replacement done.

[bobbolink]

10. WAIT...That can't be! It's only in those "Socialist" countries where long lines exist!

:grr:

[hedgehog]

6. Face it, too many of the people writing our laws probably

are worried lest the housekeeper take some of the leftovers home to her family to worry about the citizens who need help.

[SmileyRose]

7. Doesn't it take more than 2 years to get the SSDI approved in the first place??

I know a couple of people who ended up on SSDI and it took so long from the time they filed to when they were approved that the medical coverage was more or less immediate.

[dixiegrrrrl]

13. Mr. D. got approved in about 13 months.

He has a very obvious permanent disability, which eventually forced him to stop working,
we live in a rural area where there are not a lot of long lines, and the Dr. was very familiar with his type of disability. In fact, the Dr. was a native of Iraq, which I found ironic.
The blessing was they counted his disability from the date he became unable to work, which was 2 years prior to the award, so the lump sum payment was significant.
The Medicare kicked in about 18 months later.

We had anticipated a lengthy horror story so were pleasantly surprised. So far so good.

[dysfunctional press]

16. yep- your disability award is retroactive to the day you became disabled...

and not too many people get approved on the first time they apply- so it usually isn't too long a wait for medicare after that.

[CoffeeCat]

8. Is this longer than Canadians have to wait for healthcare?

Wait a minute...I thought there was no waiting for healthcare in America.

I thought only the Canadians and the French were waiting for months--for healthcare.

That's what the Republicans said.

[bobbolink]

9. Just wait until Medicare and Medicaid cuts go into effect! Cutting people like this is

CRIMINAL!!

And, where's the outrage????

[inna]

11. i simply cannot believe how we allow them to treat us like this.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Article 25

"Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services..."

www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/

[prairierose]

12. My brother had to wait a long time for SSDI and now his 2...

year wait for medicare is almost over. We will see what changes and if he will be able to get the 2 knee replacements that he needs to walk again without so much pain.

[Kansas Wyatt]

15. I think they "engineer" our alleged social safety net to...

Kill people off on waiting lists to avoid having to actually providing a social safety net.

This country is #1 alright... At screwing over it's own citizens.

[Liberal_in_LA]

17. Kick... important article

[hyphenate]

18. The wait is bad, and the attempt to get it is frustrating

Case in point: Two rejections, and waiting for the Administrative Law judge to go to, and the judge looked the case over for review before the court appearance, and gave a favorable decision before the appearance. About twenty months of waiting. I lived on $300 a month while I waited, and considered suicide at one point. I couldn't do it, since I'm still around, but there was this point where you don't have any idea of why you are still alive.

I got the lump sum payment, and got some essentials, and felt that I had gone through a major battle to get to that point. I hired one of the law firms that specialized in SS claims, because I was so paralyzed with mental fog that I couldn't do it otherwise.

It's supposed to be our money that we've paid into all our working life. We shouldn't have to jump through hoops and perform circus acts to get it.

The Medicare went through 6 months after I was approved, and it helped, but I had already been approved for state help, so it wasn't a huge deal. Of course, my mental state is still out to lunch sometimes, because I repeat things, forget things and often need to struggle to use words I haven't used in awhile. As a writer, that feels surreal. I'm still in that frame of mind, and sadly, it looks like I always will be in it. I try to improve the mind by playing games, doing puzzles, and anything that gets my brain functioning, but the forgetfulness haunts me.

People who are waiting who have no income or financial assistance can usually go to their state welfare office, and get approved for state health aid until the Medicare goes through. If there is a need for it, the state will be reimbursed for expenses from Medicare later.

Oh--some people can get SSI as well as their Disability, depending on the amount of the monthly check. Over a certain amount, and you can't get it, but it never hurts to ask.

My SIL waited nearly two years for her lump sum, but she got approved for the Disability about a year after application.