I lost my job today... will be uninsured in a month
Having written the title to that post, I'm not sure what else there is to say. I feel pretty much the same way I felt the day Eric was diagnosed: in shock, numb, going through the motions without really knowing what to do next, little hamster wheel of terror whirring in the back of my brain. I've never left a job involuntarily, you see. I've never been "downsized" before. I wasn't honestly expecting it when my CEO called me into his office to play the role of the Grim Reaper. And I don't know what to do. "Find another job" is of course Step 1, but I know that's not an easy thing to do, particularly when it comes to finding another job WITH INSURANCE.
I'm not completely without resources. I still have a tiny bit of savings stashed in what was once a plump, healthy IRA (she said, waving g'bye to retirement). My mom will help. I have a network of friends who will help me in my job search. Somehow none of that makes up for the fact that I'm without work. Unemployed. Damn, that's a BIG word.
I've been unemployed before, don't get me wrong. In 1990, I remember the Boston Globe's Help Wanted section was 4 pages long, and there was a line of 200 people for a 3 week temporary job as a limo driver -- I never even got close to applying for that one. I spent that summer driving across the US with my best friend eating sandwiches out of a cooler and sleeping in the parking lots of the National Parks. I could do that, when I was 24 and had no children or pets (and gas was <$1.00/gallon). Now... not quite so possible.
First order of business is to find out how to get discounted supplies, so... if anyone has any suggestions, now is the time to make 'em.
I'm not completely without resources. I still have a tiny bit of savings stashed in what was once a plump, healthy IRA (she said, waving g'bye to retirement). My mom will help. I have a network of friends who will help me in my job search. Somehow none of that makes up for the fact that I'm without work. Unemployed. Damn, that's a BIG word.
I've been unemployed before, don't get me wrong. In 1990, I remember the Boston Globe's Help Wanted section was 4 pages long, and there was a line of 200 people for a 3 week temporary job as a limo driver -- I never even got close to applying for that one. I spent that summer driving across the US with my best friend eating sandwiches out of a cooler and sleeping in the parking lots of the National Parks. I could do that, when I was 24 and had no children or pets (and gas was <$1.00/gallon). Now... not quite so possible.
First order of business is to find out how to get discounted supplies, so... if anyone has any suggestions, now is the time to make 'em.
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Comment by Gerri on October 31, 2011 at 9:32pm -
I'm so sorry. It's devastating to be downsized. Been there. Please check Patient Assistance Programs http://www.tudiabetes.org/notes/Diabetes_Patient_Assistance_Resources. Have you been offered COBRA?
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Comment by Elizabeth on November 1, 2011 at 1:46am -
We haven't gotten to the paperwork part of it yet, but I was given 1 month's severance including insurance. Don't know about COBRA, but my past experience with COBRA tells me I probably can't afford it. However... I make no assumptions. I can probably swing COBRA for a few months and maybe, just maybe, that will be enough. Thanks so much for the link, I plan to spend most of Wednesday getting my financial and medical ducks in a row, and this is a big help.
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Comment by Gerri on November 1, 2011 at 1:54am
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COBRA's expensive, unfortunately. Terrible irony of being unemployed & have to pay ridiculous premiums to prevent a lapse of coverage. Hope the link info helps. Again, very sorry you're going through this.
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Comment by Elizabeth on November 1, 2011 at 2:48am
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Thanks, Gerri. I'm by nature an optimist so I'm trying to tell myself that this will somehow turn out to be a good thing in the long run. It's very, very hard to see past the short run right now though. But everyone here is so supportive and helpful, it really takes my breath away. Not to diss my non-D friends and family, but people here GET IT in ways no one else does, and I'm so very grateful to have this community.
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Comment by Marie B on November 1, 2011 at 6:05am -
we're on COBRA now and it's $1800/month
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Comment by Elizabeth on November 1, 2011 at 5:15pm
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Yep, that pretty much puts it out of my reach! It's S-CHIP for Eric, assuming the state of Maine has any money at all...
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Comment by jujube on November 1, 2011 at 8:20pm -
I was diagnosed with T1 when my husband was laid off and we had NO insurance...First off there are several discount med cards out there..If you are without any income coming in, you can also call the insulin companies and they will send you a vial and then discount you for a months supply. I now started getting my insulin from Canada as it was only $40.. I get test strips from Amazon because that really was the cheapest. If you need syringes, Walmart has them the cheapest..If you are on a pump, medtronics worked with me on a sliding scale payment plan. These are all the resources I know of. Good luck and if you hear of any other ideas please let me know..
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Comment by Elizabeth on November 2, 2011 at 10:52pm
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Thanks for the info on medtronic -- I will call them just as soon as I get through the other priorities (updating the resume, applying for unemployment). I got a freelance job that starts tomorrow, so I do have *some* income, it's just a question of whether it will be enough to afford supplies + mortgage + groceries + all the other stuff I have to pay for. I did find out that it's possible to obtain COBRA for just Eric, so I'd be paying the individual rate instead of family, and if that turns out to cost less than the out-of-pocket costs on S-CHIP I will do that, and put the rest of my family on MaineCare until I find a job. I'm hopeful, though, that something will come along soon -- I've been told that despite the crappy economy, the skills I have with web page management and social media are still in demand. Time to put that to the test!
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Comment by Kat D on November 3, 2011 at 7:56pm
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Comment by Elizabeth on November 4, 2011 at 6:55am
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Thanks Kat! You saved me the trouble of hunting this down myself. Our state plan only kicks in for people who are uninsured for 6 months or more :( but if I can keep Eric on COBRA for that long, then maybe I can insure him and his big brother (has asthma) by this mechanism.
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