Re: Tonia, Ginny, etc. re health care

[Guest guest]

SSI/SSDI are federally-funded programs and you would expect that they would be uniformly regulated. ly, if there's as much of a discrepancy between how different states handle policy as I've seen in Massachusetts just between offices that are 15 miles away from each other, then I am not at all surprised to hear that your experiences (Ginny/Tonia) don't coincide. When I help parents file on their kids' behalf, I always know which phone number to call (and, for sure, which office to avoid). I've found that a system or program is only as consistent as the people who happen to administer it. Heck, in the very same week, I saw one kid who had ADHD get approved while a child who was patently psychotic was denied benefits. Sometimes the approval/denial also rests on the individual who is filling out the application and their expertise in knowing how and what to

write.

Also, Ginny, I have to say that your success with docs accepting Medicaid (MassHealth) is quite different out in your part of the state. Over here in the boonies of Western Mass, I see clients struggle all of the time trying to find dentists, eye docs, gynecologists, and so on who will accept Medicaid. Sitting here on the other side of the fence, I also see my agency being reimbursed at less than one half of my billable rate (and much less than half of what I charged in private practice). To boot, the agency can and does wait for months for reimbursement ...and sometimes longer. While it's truly pathetic that folks can't be guaranteed access to quality medical care, I also understand the judgment of many of the medical folks who refuse to accept it as payment.

Someone else mentioned that you could die waiting for a doc to attend to your needs. I sure hope folks who receive Medicaid and/or Medicare realize that if you are in a life-threatening situation no hospital is permitted to refuse treatment....and that's the law. I would hate to think that someone here was having a heart attack and, out of fear of being refused medical care, stayed home rather than getting their butts to an ER.

I share your view for that the system of health care delivery needs improvements (and I regularly correspond and meet with my legislators to that end). I also know that in some countries that have universal health system, you can wait years for 'elective' surgery.....and you wouldn't believe the kind of surgical procedures that fall under the category of 'elective.' Soooo, closing this novel.... Health care in the US could and should certainly improve, in my humble opinion, however we are still miles ahead of so many other places.

Whew...a long one Love ya - BarbaraTonia wrote:

I have talked to others in other support groups that have gotten SSI/SSDI while only having Fibromyalgia and nothing else. It is possible to get it for just that alone.

Tonia

-------Original Message-------

RSD is an accepted reason to be approved for ssdi/ssi...unlike some other disorders like fibromyalgia. I got mine as stated on my approval letter for elhers-danlos syndrome and migraines. Even though I have fibro and arthritis you can not get ssdi/ssi based on those alone. Hope you had a great weekend...Hugs..Ginny

[Guest guest]

SSI/SSDI are federally-funded programs and you would expect that they would be uniformly regulated. ly, if there's as much of a discrepancy between how different states handle policy as I've seen in Massachusetts just between offices that are 15 miles away from each other, then I am not at all surprised to hear that your experiences (Ginny/Tonia) don't coincide. When I help parents file on their kids' behalf, I always know which phone number to call (and, for sure, which office to avoid). I've found that a system or program is only as consistent as the people who happen to administer it. Heck, in the very same week, I saw one kid who had ADHD get approved while a child who was patently psychotic was denied benefits. Sometimes the approval/denial also rests on the individual who is filling out the application and their expertise in knowing how and what to

write.

Also, Ginny, I have to say that your success with docs accepting Medicaid (MassHealth) is quite different out in your part of the state. Over here in the boonies of Western Mass, I see clients struggle all of the time trying to find dentists, eye docs, gynecologists, and so on who will accept Medicaid. Sitting here on the other side of the fence, I also see my agency being reimbursed at less than one half of my billable rate (and much less than half of what I charged in private practice). To boot, the agency can and does wait for months for reimbursement ...and sometimes longer. While it's truly pathetic that folks can't be guaranteed access to quality medical care, I also understand the judgment of many of the medical folks who refuse to accept it as payment.

Someone else mentioned that you could die waiting for a doc to attend to your needs. I sure hope folks who receive Medicaid and/or Medicare realize that if you are in a life-threatening situation no hospital is permitted to refuse treatment....and that's the law. I would hate to think that someone here was having a heart attack and, out of fear of being refused medical care, stayed home rather than getting their butts to an ER.

I share your view for that the system of health care delivery needs improvements (and I regularly correspond and meet with my legislators to that end). I also know that in some countries that have universal health system, you can wait years for 'elective' surgery.....and you wouldn't believe the kind of surgical procedures that fall under the category of 'elective.' Soooo, closing this novel.... Health care in the US could and should certainly improve, in my humble opinion, however we are still miles ahead of so many other places.

Whew...a long one Love ya - BarbaraTonia wrote:

I have talked to others in other support groups that have gotten SSI/SSDI while only having Fibromyalgia and nothing else. It is possible to get it for just that alone.

Tonia

-------Original Message-------

RSD is an accepted reason to be approved for ssdi/ssi...unlike some other disorders like fibromyalgia. I got mine as stated on my approval letter for elhers-danlos syndrome and migraines. Even though I have fibro and arthritis you can not get ssdi/ssi based on those alone. Hope you had a great weekend...Hugs..Ginny

[Guest guest]

SSI/SSDI are federally-funded programs and you would expect that they would be uniformly regulated. ly, if there's as much of a discrepancy between how different states handle policy as I've seen in Massachusetts just between offices that are 15 miles away from each other, then I am not at all surprised to hear that your experiences (Ginny/Tonia) don't coincide. When I help parents file on their kids' behalf, I always know which phone number to call (and, for sure, which office to avoid). I've found that a system or program is only as consistent as the people who happen to administer it. Heck, in the very same week, I saw one kid who had ADHD get approved while a child who was patently psychotic was denied benefits. Sometimes the approval/denial also rests on the individual who is filling out the application and their expertise in knowing how and what to

write.

Also, Ginny, I have to say that your success with docs accepting Medicaid (MassHealth) is quite different out in your part of the state. Over here in the boonies of Western Mass, I see clients struggle all of the time trying to find dentists, eye docs, gynecologists, and so on who will accept Medicaid. Sitting here on the other side of the fence, I also see my agency being reimbursed at less than one half of my billable rate (and much less than half of what I charged in private practice). To boot, the agency can and does wait for months for reimbursement ...and sometimes longer. While it's truly pathetic that folks can't be guaranteed access to quality medical care, I also understand the judgment of many of the medical folks who refuse to accept it as payment.

Someone else mentioned that you could die waiting for a doc to attend to your needs. I sure hope folks who receive Medicaid and/or Medicare realize that if you are in a life-threatening situation no hospital is permitted to refuse treatment....and that's the law. I would hate to think that someone here was having a heart attack and, out of fear of being refused medical care, stayed home rather than getting their butts to an ER.

I share your view for that the system of health care delivery needs improvements (and I regularly correspond and meet with my legislators to that end). I also know that in some countries that have universal health system, you can wait years for 'elective' surgery.....and you wouldn't believe the kind of surgical procedures that fall under the category of 'elective.' Soooo, closing this novel.... Health care in the US could and should certainly improve, in my humble opinion, however we are still miles ahead of so many other places.

Whew...a long one Love ya - BarbaraTonia wrote:

I have talked to others in other support groups that have gotten SSI/SSDI while only having Fibromyalgia and nothing else. It is possible to get it for just that alone.

Tonia

-------Original Message-------

RSD is an accepted reason to be approved for ssdi/ssi...unlike some other disorders like fibromyalgia. I got mine as stated on my approval letter for elhers-danlos syndrome and migraines. Even though I have fibro and arthritis you can not get ssdi/ssi based on those alone. Hope you had a great weekend...Hugs..Ginny

[Guest guest]

Barbara,

Thats about like the difference between me getting SSI and my SIL getting it. Her lawyer has already told her that she'll get approved for it within 3 months with her just having Fibromyalgia, while I've been waiting for 2 years and am on my 3rd appeal. (She just filed for her 1st time).

The reason her lawyer told her she'll get it on the first try for just fibromyalgia is because she is a single parent and has a Disabled child that is dependant on her (that lives with his grandmother! she has nothing to do with him unless it benefits her)

I hate being the one that always gets screwed by the system when someone like her gets stuff handed to her.

Tonia

-------Original Message-------

SSI/SSDI are federally-funded programs and you would expect that they would be uniformly regulated. ly, if there's as much of a discrepancy between how different states handle policy as I've seen in Massachusetts just between offices that are 15 miles away from each other, then I am not at all surprised to hear that your experiences (Ginny/Tonia) don't coincide. When I help parents file on their kids' behalf, I always know which phone number to call (and, for sure, which office to avoid). I've found that a system or program is only as consistent as the people who happen to administer it. Heck, in the very same week, I saw one kid who had ADHD get approved while a child who was patently psychotic was denied benefits. Sometimes the approval/denial also rests on the individual who is filling out the application and their expertise in knowing how and what to write.

Also, Ginny, I have to say that your success with docs accepting Medicaid (MassHealth) is quite different out in your part of the state. Over here in the boonies of Western Mass, I see clients struggle all of the time trying to find dentists, eye docs, gynecologists, and so on who will accept Medicaid. Sitting here on the other side of the fence, I also see my agency being reimbursed at less than one half of my billable rate (and much less than half of what I charged in private practice). To boot, the agency can and does wait for months for reimbursement ...and sometimes longer. While it's truly pathetic that folks can't be guaranteed access to quality medical care, I also understand the judgment of many of the medical folks who refuse to accept it as payment.

Someone else mentioned that you could die waiting for a doc to attend to your needs. I sure hope folks who receive Medicaid and/or Medicare realize that if you are in a life-threatening situation no hospital is permitted to refuse treatment....and that's the law. I would hate to think that someone here was having a heart attack and, out of fear of being refused medical care, stayed home rather than getting their butts to an ER.

I share your view for that the system of health care delivery needs improvements (and I regularly correspond and meet with my legislators to that end). I also know that in some countries that have universal health system, you can wait years for 'elective' surgery.....and you wouldn't believe the kind of surgical procedures that fall under the category of 'elective.' Soooo, closing this novel.... Health care in the US could and should certainly improve, in my humble opinion, however we are still miles ahead of so many other places.

Whew...a long one Love ya - Barbara