Insurance woes

I work for Independent Contractors who split my employment three ways so we don't really have a small company. We don't qualify for group insurance, just individual plans. Our parent company had a group plan to cover IC and their employees which I was going to join, but they have just discontinued it due to low enrollment and cost. HUGE sob here.

I applied for Kaiser, but no surprise, they declined me due to expensive meds and expensive medical problems. The other insurance companies told me not to even bother applying. Major Risk Insurance is too expensive. After I pay that premium, I would not be able to pay my rent, utilities, food and medications. I would have to choose between medication and food. I'm now applying for Medi-Cal since I can't get insurance and I have expensive medical issues. I don't even know if I qualify for Medi-cal because as a single househiold, I may make too much by about the cost of my prescriptions.

Even though I am the sole support for my 20 yr old daughter, she is not counted as part of my family as she is over 18. She can't find a job in this crappy economy, so I support her. What I don't get is why isn't this counted as part of my expenses? I can't deduct her on my income tax. I can't claim her as a dependent and she can't get food stamps because she lives with me. A bit of help for food would be extremely helpful, but nooo. We are part of society that falls through the cracks. I work part time but make just a little bit too much to qualify for any help.

So my medical issues go untreated. My bills do not get paid. I am a bit too healthy to be disabled so I can't even go that route, not that I want to. I want to work. I want to pay my bills and I mostly want to have my medical issues addressed before I disintigrate into a neurological mess. AND I am in a constant level of pain 24/7 which doesn't help my mental health at all. I am so discouraged.

What a freakin mess.

Alli

Alli,

I'm so sorry.
Your not alone with the state help thing. I feel you very much there.

There are nights I stay awake wondering how I am going to afford food for my daughter.
My husband makes such little money, I don't work, and we pay our own health care which
actually takes one whole paycheck a month out of our income and the state cannot help us.
We make something like $600 more than the annual limit for all the state programs for food stamps
and WIC. I have no clue how the government expects families to live off the income we have.
It makes no sense.

I was wondering if you could look into this new thing I heard about. Obama was working on it.
Its something like if your job offers you health care but it is more than a certain precentage of your
annual income, you are eligable for FREE HEALTH CARE! It is enstated now. No matter how much
you make, no matter how many pre-existing conditions you have, you can still get the health coverage.
I'm sorry I don't know much more than that, maybe someone else on here does.

I'll also ask around and see if some of my "government savy" relatives know during the holidays.

Don't stress too much right now, there's too much stress involved in everything else.
You'll figure it out. I know it.