My Healthcare Journey Part Four, Or, Welcome To Idaho, How May I Help You?
In our last episode, I ended up finding out that the ones and zeros at healthcare.gov are both absolute in their dictates and shrouded in mystery. Like a modern day Wizard of Oz for healthcare, not even their humble servants in the marketplace call center have ever seen them or know how to contact them. ACA the wise and powerful hands down verdicts of eligibility with absolute sovereignty. Due to this reality, I was advised to call my congressman. So I did. I contacted both representative Raul Labrador and Senator Mike Crapo. Thankfully, I got responses from the representatives of both offices. They were lovely ladies that were more than happy to help. If we are keeping score, Labrador was about a week faster in his office's response than Crapo, but they both get A's for effort there. About a week after contacting them, I got an email from Lisa at representative Labrador's office indicating that she spoke with the Department of Health and Human Services (people! actual people!) and they said I needed to bypass the healthcare.gov website and apply for medicaid for my children directly through Idaho Health and Welfare. Thanks representative democracy!
So I sat right down and filled out an application from Idaho Health and Welfare for medicaid for my kids. Medicaid eligibility requirements really surprised me. A family of 4 can make up to $3631.00 a month and still qualify for medicaid for children up to age 19. Craziness. The application was an interactive PDF. Most of the questions were the same as the federal website, so I had had plenty of practice. I filled it out, provided appropriate income verification form copies and mailed it off. That was on the 8th of January.
On the 16th of January I got a letter in the mail stating that my application for Medicaid is denied. Here's why:
Charis Eleanor Adams elected to decline their Medicaid eligibility.
Nora Jane Nicole Adams elected to decline their Medicaid eligibility.
Those crazy kids! Somehow my seven year old and 15 month old contacted the State of Idaho behind my back and told them they didn't want Medicaid coverage! Part of me is proud of their American self-reliance. They don't need government support! They are patriots! Libertarians! Free citizens of the greatest nation on earth! They don't need the nanny state running their lives! I didn't know I had imparted so much political theory to my children through my parenting, but apparently I've got a couple of Tea Partiers in my house.
Or maybe not. I called Idaho Health and Welfare on the 17th and the lady I talked to laughed when she looked at my file. She said that it looks like they made a mistake and that someone with more cred than her would call me back within 2 business days.
