A Rant...The Failure of the US in Mental Health

fureverywhere

fureverywhere

beloved friend who will always be with us in spiri
Location
Northern NJ, USA
As I've posted before...suddenly no Medicare. I spent the morning on the horn for hubby. He has mid-stage Parkinson's and I chatted up a bunch of organizations. Everything from one dweeb who sweetly suggested "Oh maybe he could get another job at slightly lower pay? Then you could get Medicare again". Okay darling you're lucky we're not face to face or I might go for your neck. Hubby is 58 but a shadow of himself with the shuffle and noticeable tremor...a new career oh sure...and I'll conquer Wall Street.

Maybe eleven calls later finally some help. The manufacturer can offer one med for free. Another place that gets stuff from Canada at discount at $58 for the other pill he takes (compared to $200+ US market price). Okay we can do that. So I have hubby's meds okay until this job gets me medical insurance. My medications??? My favorite expression " Well sucks to be you". I take one med to help me sleep at night. Since no insurance I went off it. No dreadful side effects except walls burning in my sleep...oh and the explosions.

The day time stuff I NEED. Really...a new job and I need to keep everything together. Somehow I am going to have to pay that out of pocket. Even if I have to use credit or my Dad for help for awhile. But I'm one of the lucky ones. Can you imagine people who don't know how to find any resources? The waiting lists here for mental health are months long. So if you have a disorder that means the voices will be in your head until August because that's the next open appointment? WTF here? There has to be a better way...really

I know some of you are comfortable in retirement. But just so you know the reality of life or Heaven forbid it should ever happen to you.
 

Sounds like you're making things work Fur, I'm glad you're able to get some results. I'm blessed that neither of us have serious medical issues yet, and aren't on prescription medications. I know from when my in-laws were still alive, that even simple meds can be super expensive in the US. Those who suffer with health issues can have any retirement savings depleted pretty quickly, that's for sure.

That's what I like about Sanders, Medicare for all or universal health care. Even Trump was for single payer at one point in time, but unfortunately he changes his stand on these things too often. Wish Obama could have done it, but it was a big step I guess, and the ACA was the next best thing. Wishing the best for you and hubby, hope things get easier for you soon.
 

fureverywhere said:
As I've posted before...suddenly no Medicare. I spent the morning on the horn for hubby. He has mid-stage Parkinson's and I chatted up a bunch of organizations. Everything from one dweeb who sweetly suggested "Oh maybe he could get another job at slightly lower pay? Then you could get Medicare again". Okay darling you're lucky we're not face to face or I might go for your neck. Hubby is 58 but a shadow of himself with the shuffle and noticeable tremor...a new career oh sure...and I'll conquer Wall Street.

Maybe eleven calls later finally some help. The manufacturer can offer one med for free. Another place that gets stuff from Canada at discount at $58 for the other pill he takes (compared to $200+ US market price). Okay we can do that. So I have hubby's meds okay until this job gets me medical insurance. My medications??? My favorite expression " Well sucks to be you". I take one med to help me sleep at night. Since no insurance I went off it. No dreadful side effects except walls burning in my sleep...oh and the explosions.

The day time stuff I NEED. Really...a new job and I need to keep everything together. Somehow I am going to have to pay that out of pocket. Even if I have to use credit or my Dad for help for awhile. But I'm one of the lucky ones. Can you imagine people who don't know how to find any resources? The waiting lists here for mental health are months long. So if you have a disorder that means the voices will be in your head until August because that's the next open appointment? WTF here? There has to be a better way...really

I know some of you are comfortable in retirement. But just so you know the reality of life or Heaven forbid it should ever happen to you.
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Fur, I wish the best for you, I'm sorry to hear of your struggle financially, and with "the system".

Retirement was never a comforting period for me, having a job gives me hope.
 
Fur, do you mean Medicare or Medicaid? They don't jerk Medicare for financial reasons, but they will for Medicaid.

Whichever it is, I hope you get it straightened out soon.

Have you tried online Canadian drugstores? They can save you quite a bit. Also, Walgreens has a prescriptions savings club thing. My last dog needed a very pricey medication and so Walgreens let me sign him up with their savings club and it cut the price way over halfway. They have a yearly fee, I'm thinking it's $40, but I saved more than that on just one refill of his medication so it was well worth it.

I'm sure you've checked into generics, as well. The antidepressant I was taking was costing me $230 for a month's worth when I was without insurance; when I discovered there was a generic the cost went down to $15.
 
Shalimar said:
Hugs Fur.
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From me as well, Furry. What do I say? "It will all work out"? Yeah. It always does, but not necessarily the way we would like. I think you are handling it really well, but its a nightmare. No doubt about it. The whole social contract is a complicated mess with more holes than Swiss cheese. "We're number one!" Yeah. Right. Except when we're number thirty three. All I can do is hope you find a happy ending.
 
Medicaid is a certain age and Medicare is over that. I didn't know about the Canadian difference until today. Gotta read more carefully tomorrow.
 
Does your state not have any mental health services based on income? Around here we have some, but not enough sliding scale mental health options. It is better than it was 10 years ago, but there seem to be more and more people who are in dire need of it. Universal healthcare for all is the only way imo.

Good for you, Fur, for taking the time to explore options. Several of the pharmaceutical companies have programs that will give you reduced price medicine through your doctor's office. Also ask at your doctor's office (if you haven't already). Good luck.
 
Fur, I hope everything works out for the best for your family and you and your husband. This situation really does suck.
 
Fur, I'm sorry to hear about your difficulties with "the system" and hope you can get it resolved. There are no easy answers and it must be maddening and infuriating to fight this battle. Sounds like you're doing all you can and I wish you a speedy resolution.
 
Mental health treatment has declined severely in the past couple of decades. The number of mental health facilities is a fraction of what it once was. Now, it seems the standard treatment is to prescribe some mind numbing drugs, and wish the patient the "best of luck". In extreme cases, many of these individuals wind up in our prisons, where they are basically "forgotten".
 
Does your state not have any mental health services based on income?

Yup...This is the number of clinics
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Here is everybody waiting for services
arranz.elephantherd.8.568.jpg
 
Parkinsons shouldn't even be a mental health issue. It has mental health consequences but it should be considered a "regular" disease or condition. Will social security do anything for disability?
 
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