Screwed by Indiana Medicaid

Originally posted by earthdude
I find it odd that many think medicaid should pay every living expense. I would love to get $200 free money every month.

Where did you get that medicaid pays for any living expense? Here is what my medicaid pays:
1. The premium on my social security medicare "A," "B," and "D" insurance.
2. 20% of my medical expenses across the board, but! medical providers must agree to accept current payment schedules.
3. The Part "D" pays for most of my prescriptions, none will cost me more than $2.50 for generic, and $4.40 for name brand.

My medicaid is called a QMB. I am completely disabled in the eyes of the State, and they will pay for these above services, but! I have a spend down. What the bank that controls all this does is use a sliding scale according to your pay each month. I make the low end, you have to have 10 credits to be eligible, and I barely had 10, as I worked for myself most of the time. So I get paid too much to have free and clear medicaid. My spend down is $120. I have to either pay this, in cash, to the local welfare office, or to the medical provider, in order to get the services of a dentist, or eye doctor, or any "elective" procedure. I recently had a deviated septum repaired so I could breathe right, and I had to get prior approval, and two doctors had to agree this was necessary.

Now, here is the catch 22. I can go off S.S. Medicare and go on an HMO that would pay for everything. This, however, would place the full burden of my medical expenses on the State of Ohio, which, as I understand, is broke.
And once I go off Medicare, I can never ever get back on. There is no free lunch, and those of you that think living like this is Easy Street, think again. I am made to jump through hoops sometimes to please them. It is no fun whatsoever being disabled, and at the mercy of the State.