Insurance with pre-existing conditions?

Can you say you pay them rent? My daughter does this with student loan people. sometimes she buys the beer

@faye yes, would they check my bank account?

I can’t really help you on this I am going through the same thing I have a pre-existing condition and have been denied from every other insurance company, I had to do COBRA as well. I can’t afford COBRA anymore (lost my job) so I am going without insurance right now until I can find my job with benefits. Good luck to you I know how frustrating it is.

This is why we need insurance reform. My son is bi-polar and we had 3 grueling years trying to get him on disability. Just one med was over $1000 per month. I spent over 300,000 in those 3 years on his medical care. It really sucks. (We live in California too.) We finally did it, but at the cost of a lot of his dignity. It is hard enough for a bi-polar person to admit they are sick, much less convince a bureaucracy, who is looking for reasons to deny coverage.
Medi-Cal will only cover you until you are 21. After that you need to be on disability (Social Security, not State.) for medi-Cal to cover you. (I think they WILL consider your parents income as well.)

I don’t know about bank account, just don’t put any extra in there. Go the under the mattress route for a time.

@Judi $1,000?! That’s way too much. I have one medication that costs $200 (without coverage), and that lasts me 90 days. I know I’m not a doctor, but there are so many meds for bipolar out there. Does he have to be on the one that costs $1,000 a month? $300,000 in 3 years? Are you sure you’re not getting ripped off?
Can anyone who is bipolar apply (and be accepted) for disability?
@faye thank you

@Violet , He went through a real bad spell and was on Zyprexa. He is no longer on it. He was also hospitalized for much of the time and was in a sort of half way house. It helped document his illness so it was necessary. I think a kid like my son, in a family that didn’t have the resources for the best private mental health hospitals, diagnosticians and strategic med planing would probably have ended up in prison.
Getting him on disability gave him access to a daily outpatient program that would have broke me if I had to pay for it privately over the long haul.
He is off most of the meds now, and even got a call back for an MTV audition. We take things one day at a time right now. I guess that’s what every family that deals with bipolar has to learn to do.

I forgot about hospitalization.
When you say “He is off most of the meds now”, you’re not taking him off mood stabilizers, right?
Oh, and he can’t have grapefruit

@Violet , he’s 25 and now that we have all his systems and safety nets set up he has decided that he does not want me involved in his medical care. He just wants me to be his mom. I don’t know what meds he is taking.

@Judi (you probably know this already, but in case you don’t)
the worst thing someone who is bipolar can do, is go off all of their medication, even if they feel normal again. Bipolar is a chemical imbalance in the brain, that can not be cured, only treated. We have to be on meds for the rest of our lives. I really hope he stays on at least a mood stabilizer.

@Violet ; Me too, but as you probably know too, one of the biggest symptoms is denial. Especially when you start doing better. He is a musician and hates when his creativity is stifled by the meds. I have spent countless hours worrying and have gone beyond that now. It’s up to him. He is really charming and really smart. I hope he is on meds, but I see the manic coming out often, just more controlled than it used to be.

@Judi you sound like a really great mother.
I haven’t been manic since I was first diagnosed, around 17. I see my Psychiatrist pretty often, and my meds are really under control. I do get depressed, and have to adjust my meds, but for the most part, I am stable.

this is slightly off topic, but just curious without officially diagnosing someone, how can i tell if aloved one is bi-polar, what are some of the not so obvious symptoms?

@bigboss ; It can be really difficult. My son was diagnosed with ADHD and post traumatic stress when he was in school so his treatment was all wrong.
The short answer is, that they can go from total depression and even suicide to total euphoria. The depression phase is easy to see. The manic phase is harder, because you think, “they’re happy.” Some things that happen during the manic phase might be, excessive spending, creativity bursts, sleeplessness, several projects started and none finished, and grand plans. My son’s mania usually crescendoed in a rage that was really scary. The best way to describe it is that it looked like a demon possession. Luckily, we have not seen that side for nearly 5 years now.
This is from the NAMI.org

What are the symptoms of mania?
Mania is the word that describes the activated phase of bipolar disorder. The symptoms of mania may include:

•either an elated, happy mood or an irritable, angry, unpleasant mood
•increased physical and mental activity and energy
•racing thoughts and flight of ideas
•increased talking, more rapid speech than normal
•ambitious, often grandiose plans
•risk taking
•impulsive activity such as spending sprees, sexual indiscretion, and alcohol abuse
•decreased sleep without experiencing fatigue
What are the symptoms of depression?
Depression is the other phase of bipolar disorder. The symptoms of depression may include:

•loss of energy
•prolonged sadness
•decreased activity and energy
•restlessness and irritability
•inability to concentrate or make decisions
•increased feelings of worry and anxiety
•less interest or participation in, and less enjoyment of activities normally enjoyed
•feelings of guilt and hopelessness
•thoughts of suicide
•change in appetite (either eating more or eating less)
•change in sleep patterns (either sleeping more or sleeping less)

You can find more info HERE

ok i see thank you for the information. i dont think this person has it (my girlfriend) but then again im not doctor. what your describing seems serious, and actually really scary (the rage part) the reason im asking is becuase my girlfriend is very easily angered and when she becomes angry its almost IMPOSSIBLE to get through to her, not that she goes into this rage, instead she just almost appears calm, IGNORES anything that anyone says to her and just sticks to her anger and decision for periods from a few hours to even days. i dont know..after reading your description, her’s just sounds like a bad temper.

Under Federal Mental Health Parity, insurers are required to cover mental health issues as if it were any other illness. Which means you could be covered, but have a waiting period before coverage for medication kicks in.

I think your best bet would talk to an insurance broker in your area who brokers individual coverage and let them find you the best policy and carrier for you. You might also want to talk to your doctor about whether or not the pharmaceutical company has a program to provide low or no cost medications for a certain period under certain conditions, or if there is a generic alternative to your medications.

Under certain circumstances, it’s possible to qualify for social security disability benefits for bipolar disorder.

@PandoraBoxx ; They can still disqualify for a pre-existing condition with private insurance. If she could get in on a group they would not be able to deny her. (In California.)

Especially with private insurance, one can get disqualified for pre-existing conditions. The individual insurance market is horrible in that respect.

@bigboss that sounds like a normal girl. What are you doing to piss her off? And how old are you 2?

@PandoraBoxx I need more mental health and prescription coverage. I need a whole package: dental, vision, hospital, doctors, specialists, etc

@Violet both 23. and im probably not explaining myself right, its deffinitely not a normal girl. she’s the first ive been with that acts this way. she even asked me herself “do you think theres something wrong with me?”

@bigboss is she just immatre? Attracted to drama? Is anger her only problem?

most likely immatUre. no anger is not her only problem.

Then it’s probably her personality. Should she be willing to see a psychiatrist or therapist? (a psychiatrist has medical degree and can prescribe medications, a therapist does not)