Comments on: Medicaid: I’m Sorry, Did You Want Social Services With That?

By: Kitrona

Kitrona — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 08:17:13 +0000

What’s really ironic is that Medicaid, at least here, makes it nearly impossible to get my meds by mail, because they’ll only authorize 1 month of them at a time. And the bus service is laughable. They really need to admit to the fact that most US towns and suburbs, which is where a lot of people live, were not designed for nor do they currently have the infrastructure for any sort of decent public transportation.

And as far as that goes, if I relied on public transportation to get to my PT appointments (which, oh hey, looky there, are twice as far from my house as they could be, because my Medicaid doesn’t contract with the closer place… FAIL), I’d have to leave an hour and a half early AT LEAST… no, wait. I couldn’t use public transportation because it doesn’t actually go to the PT site. And if it did, I’d be even MORE wiped out after navigating the hellacious system around here, which means I’d be completely useless for at least the rest of the day, if not several days after. On top of the fatigue from the PT, which is every other day. Which would snowball and throw me into a massive flare. No, there’s no way this plan could go wrong!

(Crap like this makes me extremely sarcastic.)

By: codeman38

codeman38 — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 20:09:12 +0000

Oh, as for that last comment, one case that particularly sticks in my mind: One local org, which shall remain unnamed, decided to hold an appreciation party downtown on Labor Day for all the low-wage service workers in the area. It’s a completely appropriate day for the event… but because it’s a federal holiday, there’s no bus service running. And the people running the event didn’t even think about this fact, if I recall correctly, until I explicitly mentioned it to them several days before the event.

By: codeman38

codeman38 — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:54:30 +0000

AnneC wrote: There is this massive assumption that everyone can drive, or at least get rides easily, or that buses go everywhere we need them to go, when we need them. When none of that is even remotely true. YES. This is one of my big pet peeves of late; I've encountered this assumption even among progressive groups that really, really should know better... Even groups dealing with poverty didn't bother to think that their events were being held at transit-inaccessible places or times, or that they might want to potentially help out by having those in the org who could drive carpool. Yeah, this has induced more than a few facepalms from me.

By: AnneC

AnneC — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 07:29:31 +0000

Oh goodness yes. I am running into this one right now, having recently been laid off from the only job I’ve had since college (which I finished in 2002). I had a transportation arrangement for this job that “worked” in that it happened to be on the way to my partner’s workplace — but now as I start looking for other jobs, I am realizing just how limited I am in what positions I can even think about interviewing for, let alone considering, simply because transit coverage is so spotty around here. And because I am one of those autistic people who would probably be considered “very high functioning” by the sorts of folks who use those designations, on account of being able to type comments like this one (among other things), I know it’s highly unlikely my inability to drive or easily arrange transportation logistics would be taken seriously by any local agency, Medicaid or otherwise. In general I think transportation is a huge issue that VERY often gets ignored, not just in service provision but in society in general (or at least the middle-class American society I’m most familiar with). There is this massive assumption that everyone can drive, or at least get rides easily, or that buses go everywhere we need them to go, when we need them. When none of that is even remotely true. I am still trying to figure out what I can do about this, on behalf of myself and others alike but have yet to determine anything really useful. :/
.-= AnneC´s last blog ..Busy, Tired, and Oh Yeah, Kittens =-.

By: Lisa A.

Lisa A. — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 21:24:51 +0000

Hello! First comment here. I love the blog and I’m so glad I’ve found it.

As for this: “…I could see them forcing someone with social anxiety to take the bus”

I can see it, too, because I have SAD and depression they tried to do that to to me to get to my psychiatrist’s office. Even if I was willing to ignore my discomfort to take the bus, there isn’t one that passes by where I live. I’d have walk over a mile in whatever weather to get there and back, which I don’t have the energy to do, and would make me feel very unsafe. Lots of wooded areas.

So, right now I’m lucky and have access to a car through a family member. But I do tend to worry a lot about how long that will last, and what I will do when I don’t have access anymore. Gotta love Social Services.

/whine

By: thetroubleis

thetroubleis — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 23:47:56 +0000

Yep, everybody has friends with loads of free time, don’t cha know? I’m lucky that my caseworker comes to me and can drive me to medical appointments. I don’t know what I’d do otherwise, becuase my parents can’t always be there.

By: moodybpgirl

moodybpgirl — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 18:47:33 +0000

This always sets my teeth on edge. The fact that public assistance programs just take for granted that those receiving their services have access to bottomless wells of friend and family support, and that they shouldn’t have any conflict of pride and dignity whatsoever to tap them, is one of the things that outrages me most about The System. I’ve had so many health care professionals treat me like the world’s biggest idiot because I didn’t ask my parents to pay for something to do with my treatment. They stare at me in shock and disgust as though I’m defying them to comprehend why I wouldn’t want to suck every last penny from my family.

I had a friend once whose therapist asked him why he didn’t just ask his parents to pay for his medication if he couldn’t afford it. He said, “Because I’m 45!”

By: codeman38

codeman38 — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 17:15:01 +0000

Ohhh yes yes yes. There’s also the issue I have: although I do have quite a few friends, most of them are, wonder of wonders, also non-drivers. And the ones who do drive, as you hint, often have busy schedules.

And there are a couple other assumptions. That transportation actually goes to one’s home as well as where one needs to be, when one needs it. (The weekend bus route to my apartment, for instance, only runs when the university semester is in session.) That groceries and medications can be delivered (there’s no grocery delivery where I live, and some meds are cheaper to pick up in person). And so on and so forth…

By: Astrid

Astrid — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 21:47:33 +0000

Isn’t it ironic to notice how social service systems everywhere seem to assume that every person they serve, has friends; while at the same time, social services exist to help the most vulnerable people in society? And, when you try to build a social life, you run into barriers put in place by agencies that apparently presume you got all of these friends out of mid-air. It’s the same here. We have this transportation system for the disabled, but unless you are in “exceptional” circumstances, you are only allowed 750 km per year at its low rate (if you need to use it more, you get to pay a “non-commercial” price, oh wow). That way, if I used this system to visit my parents 220 km away, I couldn’t even visit them twice a year. (I don’t use this system at all because the cabs it employs are highly unreliable, so that using public transportaiton is less of a hassle for me.)