Kitty (adopted from Nebraska foster care 3 years ago) was just rehospitalized (after being out for only a week). This makes her 4th psych hospitalization this year.
We've always known that TX Medicaid doesn't provide long-term residential psychiatric hospital (RTC), so we specifically had it written in to both kids' adoption subsidies that Nebraska would pay for RTC (negotiations delayed finalization several months, but my good friend Lisa recommended it because she hadn't added it and RTC had cost her tens of thousands of dollars). Since Bear was actually IN an RTC at the time, it made a lot of sense.
We knew that to access the service we would have to prove that:
1) she needs the services (NOT a problem, we have 2 psychiatrists who'll state that she needs to go straight to RTC from the hospital, and she's already been hospitalized 4 times this year, twice in the last 2 weeks) and
2) that we've exhausted all other funding sources (TX Medicaid doesn't cover RTC and the school system won't pay either).
We tried to access the funding 2 years ago, when our private health insurance would only pay for 8 days of RTC for Kitty. She was denied, but we were told that was because our insurance had denied her so Nebraska Medicaid felt that she didn't meet the first criteria.
I finally got hold of someone in Nebraska and they say rules have changed, and they won't pay for anything unless Kitty ALREADY HAS NE Medicaid, which she can only get if she LIVES in NE.
IF we get her to Nebraska, AND they decide to give her NE Medicaid, AND they determine she needs RTC (and NOT therapeutic foster care for which we'd have to pay $88/day room and board), THEN oh by the way, we would have to pay for any medical issues not specifically handled by the RTC (so if she gets appendicitis, has an asthma attack, or her thryroid issues turn out to need treatment... then we have to pay for that treatment out of pocket).
So my choices are:
- To leave my husband and other children and move to Nebraska for an indeterminate amount of time (probably at least 2 weeks) to get her to all the appointments with Nebraska DHS to get her NE Medicaid, and eventually examination by a Nebraska psychiatrist). Then, if we can get her admitted to an RTC, it will probably be to a Nebraska RTC (even though there are at least 2 RTCs in the area that have taken Nebraska Medicaid in the past). At which point I can return home, leaving her in Nebraska for up to a year.
- To keep taking Kitty to acute care hospitalization, while Hubby continues to try to find a non-contract job with medical insurance... which will necessitate a pay cut... which means we won't be able to keep up with our massive debts (from the purchase of and trying to keep our company afloat for three years) OR try to get a job myself - that has health insurance and won't mind me leaving every 10 minutes to deal with Kitty, won't mind me leaving often to take the kids to appointments and attend meetings about the kids, plus, leaving by 4:30pm to be home in time to supervise Bear after school, and of course won't care that I never sleep due to stress and therefore am not always coherent... ).
- Find the money to hire a lawyer and force SOMEone to pay for Kitty to go to RTC.
Did I mention I'm supposed to have updated Bear's 35 page Life History by tomorrow (haven't touched it in 6 months at which point I had decided to completely revamp it based on info from sibling therapy, but then dropped it when I got busy... so it's pretty much a mess.
Plus, my good friend and neighbor and I have been talking about having a garage sale for months (I desperately need to empty my completely full 3 car garage - we've been saving furniture and things for a friend who now cannot afford to come get it... although if I'm driving to Nebraska then I can swing by her house with a rented trailer... hmmm!). Of course the community-wide garage sale is THIS weekend. So she wants to have it THIS weekend. Most of the stuff is in the garage and I rarely price or organize things, but there is a ton of clothes and other things in my bedroom that need to be gone through.
Hubby is not working this weekend, but Bear has 9am to noon Saturday detention, 3-4pm family therapy, and a 5-7pm meeting with the research group that is doing his NeuroPsychological exam. Ponito has a 4pm soccer game. And Grandma and Poppy are out of town. So a 7am to noon garage sale is nuts.
This is all assuming that Kitty won't be discharged until Monday. It's entirely possible she might be released on Friday.
How am I going to get this all done?!
1 comment:
((Hugs)) I have no words of wisdom, because honestly it is impossible I think to even put into words a response to the ridiculousness the system puts us through. Just know that you are in my prayers, and you are not alone.
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