I WISH I had health insurance....

[jaylon9n9n]

I WISH I had insurance so I could get on some meds for these darn things but I can't afford to visit the doctor and my pills for Migraine already cost too much and I make too much for financial assistance and the low-income health insurance plans. I am dying of this pain. I want a relief. Please suggest some ways I can get rid of this pain.

[bennett6p6p@yahoo.com]

Well that’s really true, these days medicines are getting costlier and costlier. I just started using Migravent and I got a good relief from my headache. You can think of trying it. Its not that expensive I am sure this will alleviate your pain and you will notice this very soon. You may find detail on their site. It should be Migravent.com Just try on internet.

[stump]

I WISH I had insurance so I could get on some meds for these darn things but I can't afford to visit the doctor and my pills for Migraine already cost too much and I make too much for financial assistance and the low-income health insurance plans. I am dying of this pain. I want a relief. Please suggest some ways I can get rid of this pain.

try a site on the web called needymeds.com or just google needy meds. it works if you have questions i can help with send me an email. These tie in to prescription assistance programs, income limits vary but some are reasonable. You might be able to get meds at a discount through the manufactures (like the together card), drug companies too. don't stop looking for solutions.

good luck.

[jfitty]

Im from australia so Im not sure of your medical system but cant your doctor prescribe a cheaper generic form of the medication you need, I know that here they give you the options of the "brand name"or the generic meds..... but maybe its diffrent where you are.
Julie

[michael178]

we (my disabled wife and I) spent years with no health coverages. My wife's approach was to tell her doctors that she could not afford medications and more often than not they emptied their sample closet and supplied her with meds. Rather than go without, try explaining your situation to your doctor.

[Zonulin]

Your migraines may be triggered by what you are eating - do you notice that you get a migraine after eating a certain food? You don't need a doctor or meds to change your diet -- check this out:

People's Pharmacy

Avoiding Migraines With Wheat-Free Diet
Posting Date: 10/17/2005

Q. I suffered from migraine headaches for more than 10 years. I saw several neurologists, but my intense headaches forced me to take early retirement. In the fall of 2002, I went from 3 headaches a week to almost non-stop. That November, I had only 3 days without headaches. I took migraine meds like Frova, Maxalt and Imitrex, but I mostly lay in bed in a dark room.

I was at my wit?s end. Then my family doctor suggested a gluten-free diet. Gradually my headaches became less frequent, and after several months I was 98 percent headache-free.

I feel I was given a new life! Please share my story so others can benefit.

A. Migraine is not often recognized as a symptom of celiac disease, but we have heard from others like you who suffered until they eliminated gluten from their diets. Celiac is more common than many physicians realize.

In this condition, sensitivity to gluten (a protein found in wheat, barley and rye) can result in symptoms such as fatigue, anemia, nerve pain, memory loss, osteoporosis, infertility, flatulence, diarrhea and digestive tract distress.

http://www.healthcentral.com/peoplespharmacy/408/61188.html

There is a Gluten Sensitivity/Celiac Forum here on Braintalk! You don't have to have CELIAC to have a problem with gluten - this is from the book The Gluten Connection by Shari Lieberman:
Page 34
In an earlier study conducted in 2001, 10 patients who suffered from severe headaches and who had MRI tests suggesting inflammation of the central nervous system were found to be gluten sensitive. When these patients were told to go on a gluten-free diet, all but one found relief. Seven of the 10 patients had a complete resolution of their headaches, and two experienced partial improvement. The one person who continued to suffer headaches? He refused to try the gluten-free diet.

Page 35
One individual said he had suffered from migraine headaches for more than 10 years. The problem, for which the neurologists he had consulted could find no cure, intensified to the point that he had to take early retirement. By 2002, his three-headaches-a-week syndrome had escalated to an almost nonstop headache. In one month, he was headache-free for only 3 days. Migraine medications did not alleviate the pain. Then his family doctor suggested a gluten-free diet. The headaches gradually became less frequent, and after several months, he was 98 percent headache-free.

Karen

[michael178]

Is anyone else tired of reading about the brave people who fight their diseases. I know that I am, and I have no idea of how one can fight a disease anyway. I think the rational reaction to having a disease is to accommodate it, when you are sick, you are sick and should do what sick people do...take a break, rest and recoup until you can resume whatever life your sickness allows.
I can imagine a person with a sleeping sickness, trying to fight his disease by vowing to stay awake 24 hrs a day...is that what fighting a disease is all about?... acting in the most stupid manner possible. Or is it putting up a brave front by refusing to ask for help when you need it? People are ready and willing to help, in fact they usually want to help so I always ask for help when I need it.

[MamaRider]

...for a different reason. Our 25 year old daughter is stuck livig at home and cannot get help from the State because WE make too much money. Now, she could move out, live completely on welfare, but that is NOT what we want for her. So we take care of as many of her med bills as we can. In the mean time she is over $25,000 in Medical debt. We are now looking into hergoing medically Bankrupt. We have heard that it affect her finabces differently becasue it is for medicine...but she is NOWHERE near the end. And if she file for help from the State (Calif) They want alll OUR info, and Paparider make pretty darned good money, and we would have to co-sign for all her blls, something we are just not willing to do. She is an adult. Poor thing is stuck between a rock and a hard place. I do not want her to go on welfare and move out. We can feed and house her. We can even take care of SOME of her med bills. just not nearly all. Darn it!:(

[stump]

My daughter got on Social Security Disability, through that she got onto Medicaid, which is the only medical insurance program that will accept her (pre- existing conditions) and offers parity for mental health issues.
About the debt, I am not so sure I would take that on. At a minimum negotiate, she is an adult and broke, you should be in a strong position to strike a deal. But don't assume it. maybe get an attorney involved if that would help you, but don't come close to paying it all.
Insurers pay only after deep discounts.
What your saying about "welfare" does not sound right. My daughter lives at home. And don't knock it, the private companies won't help you at all.
Next in Ohio there is a program called HCAP, that writes off and pays in patient hospital fees 100% for low income persons. If you daughter were in Ohio she would qualify (based on what you have said about her).
See if your hosiptal and state have a similar program.
Good luck.

PS the SSI was a pain but we got it in less than a year.

[elke]

I'm so sorry to hear about your health insurance- or lack thereof. I was in a similar situation. Though my chronic migraines are likely related to my Hashimoto's Encephalopathy, they do respond to migraine medications. For years I took excessive amounts of triptans (very dangerous) and was reluctant to try some of the migraine prophylactics, but eventually found one that did make a difference. I had lost all hope that my near daily migraines would ever go away, but the prophylactic medication keeps them down to once-weekly occurances. It's kind of a bother to take every day, but well worth it. While the triptans are all expensive medications right now (I think some will go generic in a few years and will hopefully be less expensive), some of the prophylactic meds are generic already and so are very inexpensive. They work to prevent the migraines from occurring in the first place instead of fixing them after the fact.
I'm not sure where you can find affordable health insurance. That is such a huge challenge for so many Americans, it makes me sad. If you have headaches (and especially migraines) the insurance companies are reluctant to insure you (migraines put you at increased risk of stroke). I was rejected by multiple companies and finally had to apply into my state's "high risk" insurance pool. It's expensive, but probably worth it.
I don't know if your state has a high risk pool or not, but it might be worthwhile looking into. Some other ways you might be able to get in to see a doctor would be to inquire if local clinics offer free services. Other sources may be to go to a "safety net" community clinic or perhaps if you live near a medical teaching facility they have free clinics run by the students. Another option may be to find a "doc-in-the-box" type clinic in a drugstore chain. These are fairly new but are growing.
You may have already investigated these options. Does anyone else have other suggestions?
Again, I am so sorry for your predicament. It seems that the people who need health insurance the most can't get it. The insurance companies all want healthy people.

[Slim20]

I deal with this BS right now too... and I'm only 23 and am not an expert in doctor going so it's tough for me. I feel for you.

America... where the poorest and bottom feeders cause a burden on the system, so the average people can't afford medical care.

I too fall in the category of not being wealthy, but being insured by "student insurance" and other things prevents me from getting low-income insurance

[mysticwoman]

jlon9n9n, where are you in the states...? Because I am on medicaid and on top of medicaid, I also have two additional cards, one from my state and one from my health plan (through medicaid, I think) I am not sure if the two can work together.( I think it will depend on one or two things.) So my out-of-pocket expenses is $0. One card is state covered and the other one is I "think" nationwide or at least a group of three or four states including the state I live in. Does your state have a similar program?

[stump]

we (my disabled wife and I) spent years with no health coverages. My wife's approach was to tell her doctors that she could not afford medications and more often than not they emptied their sample closet and supplied her with meds. Rather than go without, try explaining your situation to your doctor.

The better way is to search out the prescription assisatance programs through the major drug manufactures. Many (maybe all) of the meds you need could be free. So it is worth looking into.

[stump]

try a site on the web called needymeds.com or just google needy meds. it works if you have questions i can help with send me an email. These tie in to prescription assistance programs, income limits vary but some are reasonable. You might be able to get meds at a discount through the manufactures (like the together card), drug companies too. don't stop looking for solutions.

good luck.

Spelling is not my thing. Google prescription assistance programs, look for FREE ones not ones that cost money. You will be impressed at what is out there. Needymeds is a very good site, but a littkle hard to work (my opinion only) other sites maybe much easier. The programs are real and I know of several people who are getting free no cost prescriptions through them.