Healthcare Headaches

Mr. Crum got a new job about a month ago. We are still super excited about this. It means that he works Monday – Friday 8-3:30 and has every weekend off, and every evening home. The best part – it's about 3 miles away! He can ride his bike, or even walk to work if he desires. We had been praying for a job that fit this description and it almost fell into his lap.

The downside of this job is that it pays less, the gas makes up for part of the difference, but only part. We've figured out how to cut things out so that we can get by. We've also found some extra income (as I said in another post, I'm working very part time).

The other problem – health insurance. See, when you change jobs, you often have to wait 90 days before you get insurance. That wouldn't be a big deal, BUT – I'm diabetic... and 5 months pregnant. So as we have evaluated our options, we've found, well – little. We're in the waiting period for medicaid – that will cover me until my 6 week appointment after the baby is born. Then – we don't know. His work offers insurance for about $1400 a month if you cover your family. I'm not actually sure we make that much – so that is not an option. We'll find something.

The headache: While waiting for medicaid to kick in, we're covered under a new program called “presumptive eligibility”. This means that I am covered until medicaid chooses to approve or deny my application. BUT I have a limited choice in doctors. I can't continue to see the doctor that I've been seeing, who also delivered Crackers. So I chose another doctor at random, and have seen her once. I don't like her, at all – for so many reasons.

I made a decision – I would ask for a referral back to my old doctor (a specialist). Unfortunately, I have discovered that I cannot see him until we are approved for medicaid, and only then if the new doctor has a good reason to send me there. -sigh- Time for waiting, praying, and putting up with my poor choice of a doctor.

Why am I writing this? Okay, here's what it comes down to: I am wondering what people, like our family, will do if at some point the government really does make it illegal to live without health insurance. As we evaluate our options, they don't look good. We cannot afford to get insurance through Mr. Crum's work – because his work offers insurance, we are not eligible to apply for state insurance. We can probably get “cheap” insurance with something like a $10,000 per year deductible – but I'm diabetic – we can't afford to pay for tons of doctors visits up front. What are people in this type of situation to do in a world that forces health insurance, but refuses to make it affordable? I'm not saying I don't want to be insured, I do... but how?