The final months in Colorado were not easy and quite frankly were a whirlwind. The Rituxan infusion that I had in February may or may not have caused an increase in fatigue – if it didn’t, it was coincidental with an unidentified cause. I was stressed with the move. Moving is stressful for a healthy person, so you can only imagine the extra impact on a chronically ill person. Above all, I cried every single day, multiple times a day; even in public I admit. I had a very tough time digesting and processing this move to Texas; again it was not a voluntarily one in that if I wasn’t sick I wouldn’t be moving.
In an attempt to recapture my sassiness I want to share some of the highlights that I can reflect back on that about killed me at the time but can now sort of laugh at:
- I have a supplemental plan to Medicare Part A and Part B. I proactively called in January to inquire if the same plan I have is also offered in Texas. I was told it was. I then asked what the monthly premium would be and was informed that I would receive a return call in three to five days with the answer. Of course I never did. Fast forward to a month later, I finally received a call in February. The man on the line informs me that the plan I am on is NOT offered in Texas. I had an epic meltdown. “Ma’am you need to calm down.” “Ma’am, it will be OK.” “Ma’am, you need to take some deep breaths.” Me in between hysterical sobs: “Sir, you are not in my shoes, it will not be OK.” I never swore, I never raised my voice. But boy did I cry. He got a colleague on the phone from another department. Long story short, she ended up informing that as long as I did not default on my monthly payment I was grandfathered in the plan and it would follow me anywhere and I would always pay the Colorado monthly premium. I had to wait another two weeks to receive that confirmation. It weighed on me until I had it in writing. However, the writing is not exactly clear so I am still skeptical…it will take me living in Texas for a while for me to fully believe that the policy applies here too.
- I then also got burned by prescription drug plan carrier. Likewise I had made the call in January to see if they offered the plan in Texas and was informed that they did. When I called in April to update my address I was told that it was not offered. Having lived through the above epic meltdown, I proceeded to have a mini-one but was first able to croak out, “Can I speak to your supervisor?” first. The supervisor informs me that actually the plan is available in Texas but that I have to go through an application process to be eligible. So I spent an hour on the phone going through the application process. (At time of publication of this post, I received confirmation that I was approved but of course I have yet to be reimbursed as evidently the monthly premium in Texas is slightly cheaper than in Colorado and I had already paid for the entire year so I am due a refund. I do worry that means that the actual cost of my drugs may be a bit more in Texas even on the same plan; none of this makes sense or should I be saying cents?!)
- My peeing problem. When looking for an apartment back in January when we decided I needed to exercise a little independence still from living with my sister and her husband, I marked my territory at one of the places ten times. Oh yes. Nothing says great prospective tenant like a gal who interrupts the tour and your train of thought by having to continually run (err walk) to the loo so frequently that we may as well hold the tour in the bathroom. Post script: I ended up leasing an apartment in that building I marked. I guess I felt very comfortable exposing my health conditions right from the start. It is less than two miles from where my sister lives so my “independence” is relative.
- A blood lab. In February I called the lab to make sure that 2017 billing was all closed out (you see, Medicare doesn’t cover as much as private insurance so there had been a few bumps in 2017 and no bills had shown up so I wanted to be sure I was in the clear). I even confirmed three times I owed $0 – on a recorded line – and that I would not get any surprise bills in the mail. But lo and behold, I received a surprise bill about two weeks after the call. Not like a $5 surprise, more like one that rounded up to $1,000. Now after my epic meltdown with my supplemental plan that I shared above I am more equipped to prevent such a scene – at least while on the phone so I can get words out of my mouth. I called and asked to immediately speak to a supervisor. At the end of the day, this drama taught me I needed to ask if there are any “pending” bills. Evidently when I had initially called he had checked and there was nothing – but he had not checked any “pending” screens. Another heads up for any of you who will be going on to Medicare: enjoy your private insurance, even COBRA, until you do. I hated COBRA and thought it was expensive. But Medicare is way worse. Medicare is great if you are healthy! But as a sick person, it doesn’t cover much and it is expensive.
These were just some of the highlights as I seem to be traumatized by either my body or the associated issues that being sick raises. I didn’t get to be very social before I left Colorado, I was barely hanging on as I tried to help pack up the last five and half years of my life. Some of my friends who live in Texas don’t even know I now live in the same state as them. Things move really slow in my sick world. I still don’t think it’s really hit that I am in Texas even though I can’t see the Colorado mountains. I am definitely out of Colorado but I am not sure my heart has embraced Texas yet.
So in summary, here are my lessons learned (perhaps you too can benefit from them in the future): *Being proactive doesn’t really matter, even when the calls are recorded. *Even staying on top of bills, you still get burned but do keep your cool and ask for a discount, they may be kind. *Moving is tough but even tougher for us patients, we may even mark our territory in a place we don’t want to move to. *Our bodies are so uncertain so we grasp for certainties when we can, but I am learning that those “certainties” really can’t be counted on. The only certainty I see is that the healthcare system has put profits over patients. *Medicare won’t cover a lot of blood work and/or the frequency of tests – and winning appeals is not easy to do. That being said, if a test is not covered try to find out the cost before the test and figure out if it’s worth it. *And lastly, I’m working on trying to take the high road and trying to remain calm, as I’m forever surrounded by stressors, moving or not. #sickbutstillsassy
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