I'm 60 and unemployed , type 1 diabetic

[strt722]

Hope you guys can help , I'm being treated for depression, since before I lost my wife about 9 months ago. I'm receiving Social Security survivor benefits of 560 a month,this is not disability ,so I'm not able to get medicare. I also have a couple annuities providing about another 1200 a month in income .I'm on the mini-med pump. I'm using 450 units of Humalog a week or about 2 vials a month. I use the one touch meter to test sugars 6-8 times daily , I take 20 mg citalopram once a day and 20 mg of lovastatin daily, also 10mg of lisinopril once a day. I am trying to figure if I have any options besides cobra which cost over 400 per month and will soon end. I don't feel that I could work anymore at least not full time . Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[jimithy]

[dlcnurse]

strt722,

Thank you for posting. I am sure that we can be of some assistance to you. First of all, insurance. Individual Insurance plans are quite expensive when purchasing them outright. Since you are currently on the COBRA, you are paying 102% of the policy at this moment. You would be eligible to apply to the insurance company that you were under while employed and ask about a conversion plan. There are some options with this. 1)Premiums are limited to twice the rate that your previous employer plan offered. 2)They cannot exclude your diabetes as a pre-existing illness. This is important as when trying to obtain a new individual insurance plan somewhere else they can exclude this pre-existing illness for 12 months and many of the plans can write an exclusion into the policy that it is not covered at all. The way that this works is when your COBRA insurance expires, you are eligible to obtain this insurance on your own, but you must first use all of your COBRA insurance. (I would contact them prior to your expiration). You can get more information here on how conversion plans work: http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/health-plans/cobra.htm
This link is to the Department of Labor.

Next is your prescription medications; All 3 of your oral medications of citalopram, lovastatin, and lisinopril can be obtained for $4.00/30 day supply or $10.00 for a 90 day supply at large chain stores such as Walmart, Krogers, Target etc.. so your out of pocket expense would be $12.00 or $30.00. Your insulin I will need to do some more searching on locating some savings for you. You currently can get a savings on your Humolog with a savings of $143.00 Here: http://www.yourrxdiscounts.com/printabl ... &g=8013364 they also have a main site you can go to that has a list of the medications that currently have savings for many other medications. That site is http://www.yourrxdiscounts.com/index.php?g=8013364
there is no cost to obtaining the coupons or the drug card.

Hopefully this will get you started until I can do a more complete search for help for you. I did not find any assistance programs for your pump or supplies. The Nova Customer Care that you can call to see if maybe they can refer you to a assistance program. The number is 1-800-681-7390. I will get more info to you soon.

[NoPocketCash]

[dlcnurse]

In researching sites for you insulin, I found 2 online pharmacy that provides Humalog. Prices per 1 vial are actually cheaper but when you buy in bulk, the cost savings is much more. Shipping is another issue when dealing with insulin. Some of the pharmacy's, the shipping time is anywhere from 6 days to 30 days. The 2 pharmacy's that have the best savings are http://www.northwestpharmacy.com and http://www.getcanadiandrugs.com For both of these if you are buying only 1 vial the cost is 44.99, 3 vials is 98.99 which lowers the cost per vial to 32.99 (without shipping cost, which is 10.00), if buying 5 vials, the cost would be 154.49 which brings the cost per vial to 30.89 (without shipping cost), if buying 10 vials, the cost would be 288.49, bringing the cost per vial to 28.85. Shipping time with NorthWest is 8-18 days. and shipping for Get Canadian Drugs is 4 to 21 days. The good thing is that both of this do have stores in the USA.
Another online pharmacy that also has great prices when buying in quantity is http://www.bigmountaindrugs.com For 5 vials the cost is 33.00 per vial, for 10 vials the cost per vial drops to 25.50 for a cost of 255.00. Shipping time varies from 6 days to 30 days. Shipping charge is 10.00. The only issues with this is the shipping time. You would have to contact them to ask about how they ship, and the length it takes to arrive from there to where you live. If you go to the sites for the stores, you can get more info and also contact them. They do not have any stores here in the US.
Other resources that you might be able to use is
http://www.needymeds.org With your income being low, you may qualify for their assistance program.
http://www.6995diabetes.com
http://www.isletsofhope.com
http://www.xubex.com
http://www.rxoutreach.com/eligibility_en.aspx
All of these sites have discounted diabetes supplies, medication, and resources that may benefit you.
Another source is the free clinics. They generally are based on income and for the most part cost on the average 20.00. http://www.freeclinics.us This brings up a map where you can look for your state.
I will continue to look and see if I can find any other resources that may be of use to you.

[strt722]

Hi I appreciate all the help,I never expected so much insight ,you guys are great. I was receiving disability from my employer and it was stopped . According to Prudential there's no reason I can't work,they don't consider lack of concentration due to lack of sleep a disability. Also my hemoglobin A1C is well within range thanks to all the testing I do, which makes them think I don't have a problem with control . I also told my doctor that I was looking for a part time job with flexible hours and benefits ,he shared that information with Prudential and that seems to have disqualified me from any assistance from Prudential and probably Social Security ,which I have applied for Social Security disability ,so I'm in their system ,I got a call the other day to see if I would see another doctor of S.S's choice.I don't figure he will hurt me any worse than my own did . I know I could appeal Prudentials decision, but it's such a hassle dealing with them I'm ready to give up and hope Social Security will take me.

[Curious]

strt722,

No one is helping you with the cost of your infusion sets, reservoirs, and other supplies you need for you mini-med pump. I am not familiar with mini-med but I know some people use their infusion sets twice before removing them. If you keep all of the items that come in your reservoir package, some people use them a second time. They keep everything sealed in a baggy in the refridgerator. When they want to use the reservoir a second time then they dilute rubbing alcohol to sterilize it, the needle, etc. first.

I have never heard of anyone getting told this is safe to do. I know my doctor told me not to do it. If it is a choice between going back to injections and poor diabetes control or stretching dollars in order to keep using a pump, I don't know what is worst.

[NoPocketCash]

You do have some ground to make up to get your Social Security disability approved. When someone is depressed it is difficult for them to see all the ways they are truly affected by it. And even if they are seen, it can be embarrassing to admit them. For example, depression often affects a person's ability to care for themselves in "socially acceptable" ways like bathing regularly. Decision making abilities are usually impaired but a depressed person doesn't always realize it. Interacting with people can be difficult. This can cause withdrawal and isolation and/or lashing out or "exploding" at people. You may want to find a part time job with flexible hours and benefits but even if you found one, that does not mean you would be able to do it. The fact that you're looking for flexible hours indicates you may have trouble with keeping a schedule, which is a major effect of depression.

The first thing I suggest is to sit down and write a list of all the ways your depression is and has been affecting your life. Examples you may be experiencing could be inability to sleep, difficulty concentrating, personal hygiene, appetite, ability to prepare meals or clean the house or do laundry, desire to do things, ability to do the things you'd like to (and why - such as anxiety creating fear, etc), hopelessness, how you interact with people, what you do in a typical day, etc. It may be hard to even think about some of these things and admit the extent to which you are affected. Lack of sleep is a symptom that affects most activities of daily living, including ability to drive. Be brutally honest. This is by no means a complete list of depression's effects or a suggestion to lie about your symptoms and abilities, just to scrutinize them very carefully and critically. Here is a page that gives a very good overview of what I'm talking about: .

If there is a friend or family member who can write a letter or list of how they see your depression affecting you it can be very helpful because they have an objective view that you cannot. Input from doctors and people who know you are key to establishing disability and inability to work. Remember, it is inability to work that Prudential and Social Security are evaluating.

Start keeping a diary of what you do every day. A check list you make up of mood and activities is a good way to evaluate consistently and actually see things as they are rather than how you want them to be. Search the internet for charts, make one up yourself or simply keep a running log of what you do during a day. Here is an example of a daily diary page: .

Talk to your original doctor (the one who submitted the information that you were looking for a job). Hopefully you are seeing him or her on a regular basis. Show him/her the lists, diary, and letters from friends or family. They will most likely have shown you how difficult it would be for you to hold even a part time, flexible job at this point. Tell him/her that you now realize you could not handle even that type of job at this point and make sure your records reflect all of this new information. It will not reach Social Security for your initial decision but if your claim is denied, you should appeal and provide all the new medical records, testimony of friends/family, new observations you have made, etc.

Make an appointment to see the doctor Social Security wants you to go to. Take the information you have put together and talk to him/her about it. Make a point of explaining that while you hope to be able to hold a flexible part time job at some time in the future, all of the symptoms you have listed make you realize it is unrealistic to think you could handle it now.

I do not know if it would be possible to open an appeal with Prudential but if so, make sure you include the information you've put together.

It's commendable that you are taking a lot of steps to deal with your depression and keep yourself going. That's a very important and effective method of support. Sitting down and looking at all the negative aspects depression has on your life can get you even more down, so make sure you have and use all the support systems you can.

[dlcnurse]

I have been reviewing resources for your minimed pump supplies and I must admit that I am not real familiar with the costs of these supplies. However, I can refer you to Lahle who does have an extensive resources for obtaining them. Her link is here: http://www.isletsofhope.com/diabetes/as ... ies-1.html You can obtain lots and lots of information on her site regarding diabetes. Her site for ipump.org is currently undergoing renovation so it is not available at this time but do keep it in mind for later use.
Another site I found is for http://www.americandiabeteswholesale.com is also another site that does sell pump supplies. And again, I have not used this site and can not compare prices as I do not know what you are currently paying for them.

In regards to the disability, do take the time to look at the info on the site that NoPocketCash referred you to with the Social Security. In researching what meets their criteria, and what they require in documentation source. I took the liberty and review all of the literature myself and was really surprised in all the info they give you. Clicking on the diagnosis or by body systems really gives a more in depth information on what is prudent when filing for disability. Also, be sure and talk to your doctor about it and enlist his help with it. Your doctor does not make the decision but his imput can really be a good resource and be sure and ask for copies of any lab work, xrays, doctor visits, etc. to help you reach your goal. You should also be able to obtain copies from any specialists that you have seen in regards to your helath issues. The more you provide in the way of info, the better.

[strt722]

Thanks again people , you've given me a lot of help I couldn't figure out . I'm probably not going to be able to qualify for the disability ,even though I am depressed according to a lot of these sites I've been looking at , I think the best way to fight it is to try to help other people,my diabetic condition is not helping, but I'm still going to try for a part time job doing just that . I think I'll die if I just sit here. Not a very smart move I know , but I'm kinda boxed in. Thanks again Mike

[dlcnurse]

Depression is a illness like every other illness. Given the fact that you lost your spouse not long ago, it is understandable that the depression got worse. It takes a year or better to come to terms with the loss. I would encourage you to find a support group for "Dealing with Grief". Most local hospitals all have programs that you can inquire about. Believe me, they help. When I lost my granddaughter I was really in a mess for over a year. Sometimes we just have to do what we need to do for ourselves. Getting a part-time job actually will help you focus on other things. Which actually is a good thing. I have been where you are. Just know that you are not alone. I wish you the best. Glad that we could be of service to you.

[strt722]

Thanks again , I will keep all this info for reference. I really am sorry to hear of the loss of your granddaughter,I have two now that aren't three years old yet ,I just can't begin to imagine your heartbreak , I don't think I could survive that.

[strt722]

Hello again , I've been reading over the material you provided and noticed you wanted updates , so here you go.I actually found a job with flexible short hours really going to be easy to do. A local food bank that serves shut ins and has a small caffeteria for underprivliged over 60 .I actually may be able to eat there myself I guess. As you can imagine no benefits, or much money ,but I want to try this, I've always wanted to do something like this , so I'm looking forward to it. I called the disability people at S.S and told them what was going on, I fiqured I might as well cancel my upcoming appointment with their mental doctor. She told me to keep it, that this wouldn't disqualify me for disability , so keep your fingers crossed for me. Also I was wondering if you had any other ideas about getting some kind of affordable health care for emergencies only, such as hospital care, forget about the drug care I will have to take shots again probably.

[jimithy]

strt722,

dlcnurse can definitely give you a better answer. I have searched for a reliable gov reference and have not found one. For one thing it is good to know how you are in relation to the "Federal Poverty Guidelines" ( http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-864p.pdf OR http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/11poverty.shtml OR http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/ OR many other places.)

Finding out if you meet your state's guidelines for Medicaid can be good to do. https://www.cms.gov/MedicaidEligibility/ especially https://www.cms.gov/MedicaidEligibility ... 061511.pdf

A good place to find info about the range of benefits available to you is at http://www.benefitscheckup.org/ (Soc. Sec. sends people to that site) They cover food, medical assistance, and medication assistance. ( i.e. You are probably eligible for food stamps and that frees up money for other purposes.)

AS I UNDERSTAND IT... Any hospital must give you "emergency care" for any "life threatening" condition regardless of your ability to pay. Since the hospital never expects someone in a poverty situation to ever be able to pay, they tend to write it off (other patients pay for it). If you don't want to feel like a deadbeat then the hospital often is VERY flexible as to a payment plan. A friend of mine has been paying a hospital $15 a month for the last 6 years.

dlcnurse already gave you info on Free Clinics and how to locate them. They are for "non-emergency care" for "non-life threatening" conditions.

Something I have never asked... Are you a veteran of ANY U.S. military branch? (active, reservist, National Guard, etc.) If so then posting in our Veterans subject area could get you important information. There are more services available to vets than just the VA medical system. People tend to treat poverty stricken vets differently than the other millions of good, noble people out there that happen to also be poverty stricken.

NOTE: Many income/asset measurements are based upon the previous calendar year (when you had more money). Don't despair, explain your situation and there are often waivers. Also, time flies at our age :-) . Knowing you will qualify in "X" months is good. You can set an alarm on your computer to pop up and remind you a few months in advance to apply for those benefits.

Good luck,

jimithy

[NoPocketCash]