SSD and no insurance

[arcy1767]

My brother is on SSD and his heath insurance will run out in February. We live in NE and he is told that he cannot get SSDI for two years. Is there any medical help, both insurance and prescription help out there? He is but 57.

[caregiver222]

Search the internet for a facility that provides care under the Hill-Burton Act. This has nothing to do with "State Medical Assistance". You do not need the involvement of a social worker. There is a very nice U.S. government site out there you can find with little effort. You will find a list of hospitals in your area that provide such services. Square two is to contact the individual hospital selected. On the net you will find a point-of-contact for every enrolled hospital. You may have to travel a bit. Different hospitals specialize in different types of Hill-Burton care. This has nothing to do with medicaid or medicare or charity services. This legislation mandates hospitals receiving federal aid provide a certain number of patients every year without the means to pay cost-free care. If you do have the means to pay, but merely choose not to, they will not cover you. There are many clinics, who, after an income screening will provide care at very modest costs.

[nixmandy]

most smaller areas will have rural health clinics set up as part of a larger hospital. They are run and regulated by bigger hospitals and/or gov't grants and are income based. I am sure there are some in his area as well.
Big hospitals will sometimes have charity care services set up as well. It takes forever to process paperwork and are usually in teaching hospitals.
As far as prescriptions get him to look up the manufacturers of his medicines. If you go online there are often forms you can print off or fill in online for assistance directly from that company.
as far as insurance he could try with the local medicaid agency in his department of human resources dept. I have heard there are different regualations on imcome and SSD to recieve coverage. But that varies by state also.

[naganator2000]

Check with a county hospital, they have their own insurance that you don't have to pay for, you will only have a very low co-pay when you go. Also, call around to all the hospitals in your area, some now offer their own "help" with patients with no insurance. I know Baylor has this which will also allow him to see a regular doctor. Best of luck to him

[geminigirl1963]

It is true that you have to be receving Social Security benefits (whether it be disability beneifts or retirement benefits) for two years before Medicare takes effect.  This can definitely be a long wait if you're having medical problems and have no other insurance.

One suggestion I can give is for him to go to his local Social Services Department and apply for state medical assistance.  If he is approved for it, they may be able to help with both doctor visit costs and prescriptions.

Another suggestion in regards to his prescriptions is that many of the drug manufacturers have patient assistance programs where, if you qualify, you can receive the medication either at no cost or at a greatly reduced price (varies by manufacturer as to which way they do it).  You can find the manufacturer's name on either the prescription bottle or box of medication and then, if there's no number listed, simply look them up online.

Also have your brother ask his doctor for any samples of his medications that they may have.  Some doctors do not automatically offer these samples, but if you ask for them, and they have them available, they will give them to you - especially if you explain that you don't have prescription insurance coverage.  Of course, he may not be able to get samples of ALL of his meds, but it's worth asking what they might have available.

Best of luck!