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I was stunned yesterday when I picked up the phone and heard our now-familiar SSA office case handler’s voice
I just wanted to let you know that we received Joseph’s birth certificate verification, so we’ll clear his application for approval. The card will be mailed to your home address. You can come by and pick up a print out of his number if you need it sooner.
Dan picked up Joe’s official number today. I have it in my hot little hands as I type (okay, well, it’s sitting on the desk next to me, but you get the idea). They even gave us the official certified copy of his birth certificate that they ordered (expedited, at their expense) because, once they verified it, they didn’t need it for their files. It’s a paltry bonus given the headache, but it’s really nice to have an extra and probably something they didn’t have to do, so definitely a thoughtful and appreciated gesture. I feel a thank you note coming on…which is saying something, given that I recently found a stack of half-written, half-addressed notes from last Christmas that never made it out the door (yet another major goof I get to beat myself up about).
I almost don’t believe it. After 4 months on this merry-go-round, we can finally stop and catch our breath. And amend our taxes. And open an education fund. And and and… An enormous burden has been lifted from my shoulders.
If I didn’t have so much to do now that I have this information, I’d stop and take a nice, long break and celebrate. But, I’m sick, and so are Dan and Joe (the little guy just finished up his course of antibiotics for an ear infection, which I suspect is not cured to boot). And I’m past a deadline at work, so I need to get the whip cracking. Plus, I have Halloween preparations on my plate: treats for Dan’s work, last-minute costume needs, and an entire meal for Halloween night when Nana and Noni P join us for Joe’s second Halloween. Photos coming soon…
Update: Joe’s social security card arrived before Thanksgiving. I don’t remember when, but it’s filed, safe and sound.
Sorry, I haven’t posted lately, folks. April is crazy busy with Joe and I traveling, Noni P moving out here, Joe’s finalization happening at the end of this month (woo hoo!), trying to figure out how to file a tax extension (yuck), and my ever-hectic work schedule despite reduced childcare availability. Oh, and did I mention that one cranky teething active boy isn’t sleeping so well at night?
I finally took a breather today (a “breather” being an 8-hour work day while Joe is with the nanny) only to realize (aka “freak out”) that neither Joe nor I had confirmations of new healthcare coverage after our group insurance runs out at the end of April. So that Joe could keep his same doctor (or at least have flexibility with finding a new one), I applied for Colorado-mandated “high risk” insurance for him in mid-March. Then I applied for Kaiser for myself around the first of April. See why here. Say what you want, but I like Kaiser; I’ve had good experiences in both California and Colorado with Kaiser, and I’m relatively healthy, so I figured it was a good bet for me. Fingers and toes were crossed that they wouldn’t reject me again.
Today I made contact with both insurers. Not an easy task for the not-so-persistent (aka non-squeeky). I was clearly exasperated and at wit’s end. It must have shown because both companies put our applications through speedily and gave us answers today — and not the answers I was expecting! Kaiser approved me in writing and I have a verbal confirmation that Joe’s insurance was also approved (cross your fingers that I get something in writing quickly).
Can I get a collective “whew!”? If we hadn’t qualified for these plans, our insurance costs would have been two to three times what we’re going to pay, which isn’t chump change, let me tell you.
On another health note, Dan’s back is still in pretty bad shape. Actually, it’s his leg that is bothered now (bulging disc is pressing on a nerve that runs through his leg). He’s having a pretty tough time saying “no” to basic things like bending over, picking things up (like our ever-expanding Joe), and generally doing anything but relaxing. He’s still in physical therapy and his specialist thinks he might be a candidate for a steroid (injection?) therapy.
Yesterday I got a letter in the mail. Joseph was declined enrollment for individual insurance coverage because of an ear infection. An ear infection. He’s otherwise absurdly healthy. But they won’t insure him. No higher rate, no rider, no pre-existing condition waiting period, just a letter declining enrollment. The irony is that I had applied for a high-deductible policy. So even though we would be liable for the first $3,000 of his healthcare costs (and up to $10,000 out of pocket), Anthem (Blue Cross & Blue Shield) of Colorado claimed that the risks were too high for them to cover our son because he had a bleepin’ ear infection. We can apply again once his “condition” is in the clear for at least 60 days, but he needs coverage before that.
I received two of these letters recently too. Anthem declined me automatically, no negotiation, because I had been through fertility testing in the past five years. Testing, not treatment. It didn’t matter what the diagnosis was. It didn’t matter that, in Colorado, no individual insurance covers pregnancy expenses (except high-risk coverage), so there is no way to “upgrade” policies to include maternity coverage after acceptance. I was also declined by Kaiser, simply because I had been to the doctor more than twice in the past 12 months (I broke my foot last year and had three or four follow-up visits).
You see, I’m losing my benefits as of May 1st, so I had applied for individual coverage for both Joe and myself. But with this turn of events, Joe and I are now left with three lousy options. Cobra coverage (~$1000/month, low deductible), Dan’s group policy (~$800/month, high deductible), or CoverColorado (~$500/month, high deductible), a “high risk” plan for people with pre-existing conditions. I don’t know about you, but these are incredibly high rates for the average family, especially considering the high deductibles and the fact that these rates are only for two of us. (Thankfully Dan’s health coverage is included in his benefits package).
Our story isn’t unique. I’ve heard about similar experiences from friends and family. And I’ve met several people without health insurance as well as other families and small business owners who opt only for major medical coverage. I’ll never forget the struggle, guilt, and anguish a friend of ours had after her toddler got a deepish cut on his forehead. She knew that he was ok (the fall wasn’t hard) but that the cut would heal better with stitches. Yet she hesitated taking him to the emergency room (of course it happened on a weekend evening) because the expense would be completely out-of-pocket. They were struggling to start a family business and had already borrowed again their credit cards. So they opted not to take him to the doctor. In the end, he was fine and the cut healed, but it did leave a scar, both on his face and with his parents. It was a huge wake-up call for the family, who now realized that every sniffle, sneeze, and boo boo — which under “normal” (group health coverage) circumstances might generate a trip to the family doctor — could now bring about the same financial dilemma.
Don’t fool yourself and think that it couldn’t happen to you. Especially in this economic downturn, people from all walks of life are losing their jobs, and with that, group health coverage. Some folks’ employers are passing along the increasing costs and others, like myself, are simply losing benefits and must turn to individual coverage. At the same time, insurance companies seem to seek out the tiniest excuse to decline enrollment, limit coverage, or increase premiums. This isn’t just an issue for seniors on fixed incomes or the sick or poor. This is a crisis that can affect anyone and, I suspect, will hit the middle class pretty hard in the next few years, especially if the economy doesn’t turn around quickly. It might not be an issue you have to face now, but you never know. That’s something to think about when November rolls around.
…your idea of a really romantic Valentine’s Day means sharing a homemade pizza and sitting on the bed watching Lost while the baby is in the bouncer eating Cheerios. Hey, at least we shaped the pizza into a heart (sort of)! I guess that time Dan spent working at Pizza Hut in college paid off. He he.
Dan and I celebrated our 9th Valentine’s Day together last night. I bought (gasp!) him a card (nope, didn’t make it) . He checked out a library book on Valentine’s Day for me to read. Ahhhh…
We didn’t know it, but this morning our phone was ringing off the hook. At 6:05am. At 6:08am. At 6:10am. At 6:18am. Then again at 8:09am. We missed all the calls, but the last one woke us up. I leaped from bed, hurdled the pillows on the floor, and dashed to the office like a mad woman. I was too late to get the call, but that didn’t stop me from sprinting back into the bedroom, phone in hand, and attacking it like a junkie in need of a fix. There were, in fact, five — 5! — missed calls. In that split second, I was simultaneously thrilled and terrified. What if…it was THE call??? The baby call? Where we too late? Would they call someone else? I looked at Dan with hopeful eyes.
I had to giggle at one of our blog comments yesterday. Kristi said, “when you guys do stress you do it big!” Oh hon, you don’t know the half of it. Let me tell you a story about how our whirlwind of a life started. Nearly 9 years ago…
No news on the adoption front. We’re still sitting on pins and needles. It’s a good thing, then, that I had the BEST distraction today. I got to babysit the happiest kid on the planet.
I know that the CBI requested a name check for me on 4/19. I know that the FBI responded on 4/25. I know that a particular person (name withheld) at the CBI put that response in the mail that same day to the Colorado Department of Human Services, who will then, in turn, mail the response to my local agency. Why? Because I made a 3-minute phone call.
I know that the interagency agreement (what CO needs before our two agencies can “talk” to one another) was received by one person at my international agency’s office on Wednesday. I know that another person who does contract review will get to it next week. Why? Because Dan made a 3-minute phone call.
Last week, I flew to California for work (which may explain the lack of blog activity here). I had given myself a little cushion in the schedule and I was booked on a relatively early flight. Or I should say overbooked. Since I had the time (and a laptop to keep me busy with work), I volunteered my seat and offered to take a later flight. (Truth be told: I had a crummy window seat and couldn’t talk the cranky gate agents into an aisle seat, so I was hoping for a nicer seat on another flight.)
I had to wait for everyone to board, then they finally announced that volunteers wouldn’t be needed. All volunteers except me. So, I figured I was fated for a later flight. No biggie. A minor price to pay for a free ticket. But, at the last minute, two passengers didn’t show up. Since they technically had already “given away” my seat, they handed me a free ticket, then told me to board the plane. Sure enough, a seat was available — an aisle seat. Woo hoo! So, in the end, I got a better seat on the same flight and a free ticket. The crazy thing is that I wasn’t even trying to “work it.” You can’t beat that.
that the CBI (Colorado Bureau of Investigation) totally rocks! I gave up on the idea that my homestudy agency or my social worker (despite their promises to contact the CBI) was going to do anything to help me out with the status of my FBI fingerprints, which got very confused mainly because the homestudy agency didn’t follow the instructions properly or give me copies of the original FBI rejection (that had the instructions) — until recently (when I finally got copies of these last week, I realized that something probably went wrong).
So, I called the CBI on a lark this afternoon. A few minutes ago, I talked with the most helpful person I’ve ever dealt with during this whole adoption process.
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