When You Have Go to On Indiana Medicaid

I have been on the Obamacare Insurance in the state of Indiana, AmBetter for about a good two years. I qualified for Obamacare, meaning I made enough money yet not enough money to afford private insurance.

However in 2017, I made 4,518.00 dollars, which the government put me in the HIP (Indiana Medicaid) bracket. As soon I saw that screen say “You do not qualify for Marketplace Insurance,” my stomach dropped. Back in 2013 I tried to apply for Medicaid and continued to be denied. I worked full time construction jobs for Habitat for Humanity yet was not covered for health insurance.

So this popped up, and I felt a gashing weave of panic. I am not going to be able to afford my medication, which is $56.00 a month without insurance not to mention seeing a doctor for any infections such as strep throat or a UTI. I am going to die a long horrid death due to a fixable disease because I can’t afford a doctor but then the cost at the pharmacy.

So hence, you see where my mind is going with this.

December 27th 2017 I receive a letter from FSSA stating the office needs verification from my last employer of all gross wages. And a statement that I no longer work there. And the paperwork is due January 3rd. The timing felt as they intentionally wanted me to fail. Most offices are vacant or low staffed during the Holiday season yet FSSA demands an extremely time sensitive document sent by January 3rd. Also — the former employer’s work habits were incredibly slow. I feared my request would be overlooked, so I had to send obnoxious emails and voicemails everyday until I received the paper work.

January 2nd at 1:30 pm, that beautiful document arrived in my email.

Now all I had to was FAX it over. Not scan and email. No FAX it.

This required me to drive 3.2 miles to a UPS store. I had to fax over 5 documents to a 1–800#. Each sheet priced at 2.50!! In what world do people applying for Medicaid have $12.00 sitting around to spend on a machine from the Reagon-Era??

Seriously! A Fax Machine!

Is that to go with your CD player and Phil Collins Collection?! Do you also watch Breakin 2: Electric Boogaloo on Laser Disk or BETA?!

It costs less for Medicaid applicants to take a picture of their application on their phones, and email it as an attachment. Which is more organized for the recipient than searching through faxed paperwork.

Yet, I faxed over my paper to an office that I pictured set up like “9–5”, big hair and shoulder pads — lots of light blue eyeshadow. And hopefully a lot of feminist plots turning in the minds of employees.

During the waiting period, an horrid flu epidemic broke out locally. The hospitals have closed down the maternity wards, people are tested for the flu just walking into the hospital.

I tell myself, keeping washing your hands, drinking water, sleeping a lot, stay away from food that will beat down your immune system (anything that not is potatoes, rice and vegetables).

I am avoiding public places — everything until I get confirmation that I have insurance. I am down to the last of my “real food” (i.e. fancy leafy greens, carrots, garlic, etc.). My first food pantry visit is coming up.

Around January 10th, I receive mail from “CareSource.” I have no idea what this is, but they are asking me to pay $10.00 to “speed up” processing my health insurance application. Now as a student, I am always receiving predatory mail regarding student loans. FSSA never gave me any advice or knowledge regarding “CareSource” therefore I took it as a scam. Because once again, why would someone who is applying for Medicaid have $10 just chilling? Don’t you know I just dropped my last $12.00 to fax 5 documents to your office?!

January 12th, I receive a letter saying that “You are conditionally approved for HIP” (which is Medicaid). Not much else, no contact, no leads. No insurance card. I still have to buy my prescriptions at full price. Where is this insurance card?

January 20th, I wake up and my voice is gone plus I have a burning score throat. I am sick — guess what Medicaid, I need your ass! So where the F are ya!

Meanwhile I am eating my food pantry items, spaghetti noodles and peanut butter. Nothing healthy, which is not helping my condition.

I go to the FSSA office, she tells me that I have been approved but I was supposed to pay a $10 fee to process my Medicaid. And I said “CareSource”, to her reply “That must be the one Indiana gave you. You don’t get to pick, they assign you the plan.” She writes down the number for me to call. Not FSSA. Not Medicaid. But I have to call CareSource.

I call. Do customer service calls ever go well? I mean really, I get the job sucks but why would you NOT tell me that you were my insurance that has been assigned to me? Especially if you are asking me for money.

So blah blah, I have to pay ten dollars. I pay it. She says my card will come in the mail soon. And gives cryptic advice before hanging up: “Don’t get sick.”

January 28th hits and I am full blown fever dreaming. My dreams have me at Season Four of Twin Peaks only the storyline in my dreams works much better.

If you want to read the dream, read the paragraph below. If you want to skip ahead, scroll past the paragraph below:

The focus on Twin Peaks: Season Four is on Windam Earl and a lot of trees. Earl takes Annie into the woods, but dresses as both an Amish man and an Orthodox Jewish Man, Annie matches. This is gets weird: He has a horse buggie set up so that the rein goes through Annie’s teeth, like floss. It works when the horses go slow, but the horses run downhill and all of Annie’s teeth whip out. Annie looks at herself in a mirror and does not react. Then, James Spader had a house in Laporte Indiana and the entrance was shaped like a circular shower and for some reason I couldn’t let this go. I kept yelling at James Spader and telling him “You are just Rip! You are! Only you don’t have fish tanks!” (Rip, a sleazy drug dealer played by Spader in the iconic “Less Than Zero”). Spader completely ignored me. Keanu Reeves was laying on a large bed of pillows — that looked preciously cozy, opium den cozy. He watched an trailer for “My Own Private Idaho” on a 1980’s white TV and started crying, “I miss him so much. I could have done more.” I went over a hugged him. That was a nice moment. But I went to my prom date’s Mom house, who I never met but knew did not like me. “she has beer parties!” something like that. Anyhow her house, had 1970’s era green and blue shag carpet — which she denied and said it was put in the 1990s. Her walls had wood paneling which had family photos of a black jewish family at Bar Mitzvah (A.J. was a regular white guy, so this didn’t match). She was already mad about the shag carpeting, I wasn’t pressing the issue of the mismatching family photos. She made take ice skates without any ankle support. But wouldn’t give me an awesome 1970’s television of my dreams.

Start here to continue the Medicaid story:

Day 5 of being ill and I am not getting better. I call CareSource, they say my card should arrive in 10 to 15 business days. I am losing it at this point. The caller gives me my medicaid number which she says I use for the visit and for the pharmacy.

Oh — important point — I am Master student at IUSB. IUSB does not offer health insurance to their graduate students. However the clinic, Healthlink, will assist in applying for Medicaid. Just so you know.

I find out that my doctor at South Bend Clinic, does not accept CareSource Medicaid. So she refuses to see me.

I call IUSB, they direct me to Healthlink and I get an appointment. While I am there, the office says my medicaid number is NOT showing that I have coverage. By the way, I look like a mid-evil peasant suffering from modern curable illness now. Somehow I wound up laying on the ground. Based on this, the clinic took me in. I had a sinus infection and needed antibiotics, they gave me a flu shot. And they were not mad that Googled illnesses and took photos of my throat, like my old doctor would be.

Feeling relief that I am not going to die — I go the pharmacy. Hoping that my Medicaid works. Nope. Same thing. I pay for it on my checking card, knowing that I am going to be overdrafted $35.00 for what would be covered if CareSource had their shit together or if FSSA and CareSource communicated. After another week, I felt functional to go to back to work and school.

It is February 16th 9:02 pm and still no insurance card from CareSource Medicaid.