Question for the right wingers

[ladysycamore]

Originally posted by wolf
Any uninsured/underinsured patient can apply for Medical Assistance (aka Medicaid) while hospitalized. The purpose is for the hospital to pursue a 'limited use' application to cover costs of that hospitalization. The patient can follow up with the welfare office after discharge with the possibility of receiving full benefits if the meet the requirements.

If the MA application does not get approved, the same document can be used to apply for other funding sources, including monies earmarked for this use by the county.

Lucky for me, when I got hospitalized in 2001, they assigned a social worker to me and she got the ball rolling right away to get me Medicaid. It was new to me...all my life before that I had been insured, and now I was facing this mess. I still don't like it, but what else can I do? I sure as hell can't afford commercial insurance, and when I tried to sign up with BC/BS and Aetna, it was a joke. I would not have been able to get covered for a year (those nasty pre-existing conditions), but they wanted you to still pay the premiums during that non-covered year..not!

It's amazing what you learn about the healthcare system when you get sick.