Comments on: Second Shift for the Sick http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/10/15/second-shift-for-the-sick/ FWD (feminists with disabilities) for a way forward Thu, 30 Dec 2010 17:29:21 +0000 hourly 1 By: Rhiannon http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/10/15/second-shift-for-the-sick/#comment-14730 Rhiannon Sat, 02 Oct 2010 08:07:19 +0000 http://disabledfeminists.com/?p=296#comment-14730 As far as I'm concerned it's just a pure fact to never call medicaid/medicare/social security on a Monday, Tuesday or Friday. You will be on hold for at least an hour, the first person you talk and explain the issue won't be able to do anything about, she will have to transfer you to speciality, and you'll be on hold from probably another half hour. For those of us who have cell phones and ONLY cell phones (could not afford landline and cell both, and being disabled, living way out on lonely country roads and having an old car, cell phone is critical) and can only afford very limited time, this is a bloody nightmare. I wish cell services would make 800 numbers free like they are for lands. Oh, and my local medicaid office? I have to reapply every six months, hand over a mountain of paperwor, and invariably something that was supposed to be there didn't get faxed over or was lost and instead of saying "could you bring X in we don't have it." They CANCEL your medicaid and you have to go over this crap ALL OVER AGAIN. I have actually developed an anxiety/phobia issue about talking to these people at this point. As far as I’m concerned it’s just a pure fact to never call medicaid/medicare/social security on a Monday, Tuesday or Friday. You will be on hold for at least an hour, the first person you talk and explain the issue won’t be able to do anything about, she will have to transfer you to speciality, and you’ll be on hold from probably another half hour.

For those of us who have cell phones and ONLY cell phones (could not afford landline and cell both, and being disabled, living way out on lonely country roads and having an old car, cell phone is critical) and can only afford very limited time, this is a bloody nightmare. I wish cell services would make 800 numbers free like they are for lands.

Oh, and my local medicaid office? I have to reapply every six months, hand over a mountain of paperwor, and invariably something that was supposed to be there didn’t get faxed over or was lost and instead of saying “could you bring X in we don’t have it.” They CANCEL your medicaid and you have to go over this crap ALL OVER AGAIN.

I have actually developed an anxiety/phobia issue about talking to these people at this point.

]]> By: Penny, catastrophe http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/10/15/second-shift-for-the-sick/#comment-3186 Penny, catastrophe Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:01:15 +0000 http://disabledfeminists.com/?p=296#comment-3186 At school, neurotypical students go through with no problems. The school offers "disability services" - seems easy enough? Requiring extra time, and large print exams, I got the doctor to write a letter, send it to the disability services office. Denied. Why? I guess they didn't like that doctor. Go find another one. They lose the file. Bug the doctor for yet another letter. Takes 2 months, at which point, I've already taken, and done poorly on, one full set of exams. I guess the school and I have different thoughts on what constitutes disability "services". The message here, if you're not neurotypical, don't even bother. Thank you, as always, Amandaw. At school, neurotypical students go through with no problems.

The school offers “disability services” – seems easy enough?

Requiring extra time, and large print exams, I got the doctor to write a letter, send it to the disability services office. Denied. Why? I guess they didn’t like that doctor. Go find another one. They lose the file. Bug the doctor for yet another letter. Takes 2 months, at which point, I’ve already taken, and done poorly on, one full set of exams.

I guess the school and I have different thoughts on what constitutes disability “services”. The message here, if you’re not neurotypical, don’t even bother.

Thank you, as always, Amandaw.

]]> By: AmandaS http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/10/15/second-shift-for-the-sick/#comment-846 AmandaS Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:37:13 +0000 http://disabledfeminists.com/?p=296#comment-846 I just followed a link and read this, and I am so glad that you wrote this. When my son was born with severe internal defects, I suddenly had a full time job dealing with the insurance and social security offices. I learned very quickly that I had to monitor and triple check every aspect of his benfits and care so someone else's mistake wouldn't cost us extra money or deny us a treatment or service. My brother has Type I Diabetes, and is supposed to get one eye exam every year fully covered by his insurance. Every year, he has to pay out of pocket when the claim is denied. Then he spends around 6-9 months teaching the insurance company how to read his policy. They finally pay up after he has sent them letters from his doctor ("Yes, the patient is STILL diabetic") and argued with multiple levels of insurance reps. And then the process starts all over, because it's time to schedule his next eye exam! I just followed a link and read this, and I am so glad that you wrote this. When my son was born with severe internal defects, I suddenly had a full time job dealing with the insurance and social security offices. I learned very quickly that I had to monitor and triple check every aspect of his benfits and care so someone else’s mistake wouldn’t cost us extra money or deny us a treatment or service.

My brother has Type I Diabetes, and is supposed to get one eye exam every year fully covered by his insurance. Every year, he has to pay out of pocket when the claim is denied. Then he spends around 6-9 months teaching the insurance company how to read his policy. They finally pay up after he has sent them letters from his doctor (“Yes, the patient is STILL diabetic”) and argued with multiple levels of insurance reps. And then the process starts all over, because it’s time to schedule his next eye exam!

]]> By: Kasie "Mamatat" Ray http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/10/15/second-shift-for-the-sick/#comment-263 Kasie "Mamatat" Ray Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:09:01 +0000 http://disabledfeminists.com/?p=296#comment-263 Thank you. As a woman diagnosed with chronic PTSD as well as the mother to a disabled son, this means more than any words could convey. Thank you. As a woman diagnosed with chronic PTSD as well as the mother to a disabled son, this means more than any words could convey.

]]> By: dreamingcrow http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/10/15/second-shift-for-the-sick/#comment-253 dreamingcrow Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:33:04 +0000 http://disabledfeminists.com/?p=296#comment-253 Thank you. This post means a lot to me. Thank you. This post means a lot to me.

]]> By: NTE http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/10/15/second-shift-for-the-sick/#comment-237 NTE Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:10:07 +0000 http://disabledfeminists.com/?p=296#comment-237 Oh yeah: definitely one of my favorite posts... Whenever I have been faced with the "Oh but if you just did X, you'd get better" contingent, I wondered why they couldn't just reach the logical conclusion that if I COULD do X to feel better I would: It would certainly be much less work than I am currently doing, just to stay alive. .-= NTE´s last blog ..<a href="http://neverthateasy.blogspot.com/2009/10/i-love-worldand-i-want-to-lay-down.html" rel="nofollow">"I Love the World/And I Want to Lay Down"</a> =-. Oh yeah: definitely one of my favorite posts… Whenever I have been faced with the “Oh but if you just did X, you’d get better” contingent, I wondered why they couldn’t just reach the logical conclusion that if I COULD do X to feel better I would: It would certainly be much less work than I am currently doing, just to stay alive.
.-= NTE´s last blog .."I Love the World/And I Want to Lay Down" =-.

]]> By: Fe http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/10/15/second-shift-for-the-sick/#comment-231 Fe Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:51:23 +0000 http://disabledfeminists.com/?p=296#comment-231 This is all way too familiar to me. Thanks for articulating it SO well! .-= Fe´s last blog ..<a href="http://fe.org.au/2009/10/14/dear-internetz/" rel="nofollow">Dear Internetz…</a> =-. This is all way too familiar to me.

Thanks for articulating it SO well!
.-= Fe´s last blog ..Dear Internetz… =-.

]]> By: Bene http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/10/15/second-shift-for-the-sick/#comment-229 Bene Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:09:56 +0000 http://disabledfeminists.com/?p=296#comment-229 I agree with Chally and Ouyang Dan, this hit me hard when I first read it, and it did just now, again. I agree with Chally and Ouyang Dan, this hit me hard when I first read it, and it did just now, again.

]]> By: Chally http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/10/15/second-shift-for-the-sick/#comment-223 Chally Thu, 15 Oct 2009 06:01:41 +0000 http://disabledfeminists.com/?p=296#comment-223 In my head, the minute I read this back in November, it went down in history as a classic post. In my head, the minute I read this back in November, it went down in history as a classic post.

]]> By: OuyangDan http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/10/15/second-shift-for-the-sick/#comment-220 OuyangDan Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:25:07 +0000 http://disabledfeminists.com/?p=296#comment-220 Um. This may be one of my favorite posts of yours. It dovetails with some of my thoughts (in an upcoming post) on military health care and how much work goes into the patient side of it. .-= OuyangDan´s last blog ..<a href="http://randombabble.com/2009/10/14/observed/" rel="nofollow">Observed</a> =-. Um. This may be one of my favorite posts of yours. It dovetails with some of my thoughts (in an upcoming post) on military health care and how much work goes into the patient side of it.
.-= OuyangDan´s last blog ..Observed =-.

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