Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Take that DSHS!

(Department of Social and Health Services)


We loathe you!  You have been nothing but a HUGE pain in our behinds. We have been fighting you for over a year now! And all we want us basic health insurance for Joseph. We really don't want to need government insurance, but we have no other choice. You've denied us multiple times and the first time we were approved, you wanted us to prove over $5,000 "spend down". which would have been possible  if you allowed us to use his $3,000 a month medication against spend down. Then come to find out you thought we were making $1,200 more a month than we do, (if we did we wouldn't be applying for state insurance!)  and instead of fixing YOUR mistake you made us re-apply. (for the 4th time)

Finally you got it right, but we still had to prove spend down of $1,277, over a specified time period. This was a difficult job, because at the same time we were trying to avoid debt, so we worked with the doctors offices and pharmisuedical companies to get services and medications subsidized or get discounts for paying up front. Which while smart for us finacially,  it did not help to us fight you.

Luckily for us we found our loop hole: we can use the medical expenses of anyone who lives with us. We live with family, so they were all included every single time we applied and we got to use their bills with ours. These last few months we've compiled all the bills that our family has incurred over the last 6 months, bills that include dates of service and cost incurred . This last week we copied them and wrote Joseph's name and DSHS number on each and every paper we were preparing to send them to you. And just to be sure you wouldn't misunderstand,  or over look them, I also highlighted the charges on each bill. By the time we were done the pile of bills wouldn't fit into the postage paid envelope you supplied us with. So I folded everything and stuffed it into a Manila envelope and taped your tiny one on top. Taped the whole thing closed and prayed that the mailman wouldn't send it back.

Just so you know, and just to be thorough, I didn't stop when we reached $1,277. I wasn't sure you'd accept all our proof. We've never been so happy to get bills in the mail, but because we were going to use them to prove spend down, they were welcome.  Our grand total came to $3,644.91  oh yea, take that, and I hope you have fun going through that stack of papers.


P.S. I do have more that I can dig up, so watch out!
P.P.S I have been drafting a letter to send to our congressmen and congress lady, with great detail of our fight with you and how you are part of a broken system. How an other wise very healthy young man who has MS, and is legally blind  is denied multiple times for state insurance. However, if his wife was to quit her job, and get pregnant we could all be on state insurance, that is wrong! 


In other words the war is on, I am going to win and you are going down, I will be heard!

3 comments:

Ashley said...

How sad is it that people who are trying to make their lives better are the ones that don't get the help! But people who frivolously spend their money so they "can't" afford their medical bills get benefits no problem.

Briana said...

ack! so frustrating!!!! i feel your pain in part - having to also deal with stupid government agencies regularly to get elena the help she needs. SUCH A BROKEN SYSTEM!!!!! ah! i have such rants about this - it makes me crazy! i can't even start talking about it because i get too fired up about it.

i'm glad you are taking charge! keep fighting!

The Ottley's said...

KA-BAM! Take that!
I like it.
More power to you!
T