Insurance & Related
Services
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THERE ARE FOUR TYPES OF INSURANCE THAT
ARE IMPORTANT FOR THOSE WITH A DELIBIITATING DISEASE LIKE MS TO UNDERSTAND:
HEALTH, DISABILITY, LONG-TERM CARE, AND LIFE.
Having the right combination of coverage is crucial to ensure you receive
the care you need.
Health Insurance: Health insurance
covers the costs of services rendered to you in your medical treatment.
Government health insurance programs (like Medicare), and private health
care plans (ones you purchase on your own or those provided through employers,
alumni associations, professional groups, etc.) are the most common forms.
Medicare is extremely important to the MS population because it guarantees
coverage with no pre-existing condition limitations. Eligibility for most
Medicare benefits commences at age 65.
It is important to note that if
your health insurance is issued through your employer, should you become unable
to work you could lose your coverage, or become responsible for paying the
premiums yourself.
Disability Insurance: If you become
unable to work, disability insurance will reimburse you for at least part of
your lost earnings. You should obtain this insurance while you are still
working, as it is often extremely difficult to obtain coverage if your level of
disability reaches the point where you are not able to work.
Long-term care insurance: Long-term care insurance can help cover
the costs of care in a nursing home or your own home. It is likely you will
need this type of coverage in addition to the health insurance coverage you
have through either the government or your private insurance provider. Most
long-term care insurance policies are indemnity policies. This means that they
will pay a certain amount of money for each day that you require care.
Depending on the individual's needs and circumstances, the per diem benefit
varies.
Life Insurance: While life insurance does not
generally affect daily living, it is still a very important part of financial
planning. Life insurance pays benefits in the event of your death. Because
there are several types of life insurance, you and your financial advisor
should discuss which type is right for you. Keep in mind that people with MS
are charged higher premiums for life insurance, and coverage may not be as
through. Taken from: www.spotlighthealth.net
SHIBA
Senior Health Insurance..Benefits
Advisors
Shiba. Senior Health Insurance Benefits Advisors, is a
Free service offered through the state of Idaho
Department of Insurance. They are a organization that resolved insurance
issues.
Medicare, Medicare supplements and Long-Term Care
Insurance can be over-whelming. Typical questions and problems resolved by
Shiba Counselors are: "When do I apply to Medicare?", "How will it affect my
group coverage?" "I just moved here, where do I get a supplement?". "Will you
please explain Cobra". I do not understand this Long-term Care policy". "How
can anyone make sense of this Medicare Statement" "Medicare denied my claim,
can you help?"
You can reach the North Idaho Shiba at 1-208-666-6847 or
toll free at 1-800-247-4422
NORD
National Organization for Rare
Disorders
http://www.rarediseases.org is a unique
federation of voluntary health organizations dedicated to helping people with
rare "orphan" diseases.
COBRA
Consolidated Omnibus Budget
Reconciliation Act
www.cobrahealth.com/thelaw.htm is a safety net
for those who might lose their health insurance.
QUESTIONNAIRES
Are you planning on applying for SSI
or SSD, or considering in the future?
Are you frustrated in getting a
diagnosis or in explaining your symptoms to your doctor? Don't worry as there
is help available!!!!!! Documentation can be invaluable for SSI or SSD
applications, as well as for presenting to your doctor, giving a well-defined
history and listing of your physical, cognitive and emotional MS
symptoms.
The history and duration of your
clinical symptoms ( NOT lab results )is essential so that your physician can monitor your response
to the ABCR drugs and make dosing changes, switch or add other meds if you
continue to have active inflammation. Your risk factors are also determined by
how long you have a symptom ( Have you had it since you were a teen?). The
quality of the treatment your physician can prescribe depend on the amount of
clinical data you provide! ( I cannot stress enough how important it is to keep
a diary EVERYDAY
of how you are.)
Perhaps you are
feeling down and depressed for no good reason. You may have
LESS control over your emotions that you used to.
Do you have trouble finding things and remembering appointments? You may not
have realized it, but these are MS symptoms! The following questionnaires cover
a wide range of MS symptoms and help you to recognize and document yours - the
more documentation you have, the better off you will be. Filling out these
questionnaires will give you ammunition - evidence to build your case history
for SSI or SSDI. doctors or other agencies.
Once the
questionnaires are completed, a counselor or professional can use this
information to write up a symptom summary for your doctor or neurologist. If
you doctor or neurologist is not familiar with MS, printouts of the web
articles may help clarify some points.
The questionnaires
are now available for downloading in PD format. This format can be read and
printed out with Adobe Acrobat. Adobe Acrobat can be downloaded for free from
www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.
*QUESTIONNAIRES
AVAILABLE*
For Physical Symptoms:
www.msa-sea.org/Medical/Symptoms/PhysSmpt.pdf
For In-Depth Long Form on Physical and Cognitive
Symptoms: www.msa-sea.org/Medical/Symptoms/SymptLong.pdf
For Sleep Problems:
www.msa-sea.org/Medical/Symptoms/Sleep.pdf
Information from the MS Association of King County, Seattle,
Washington
ACCESS PROGRAM HELPS WITH
DISABILITY
ISSUES
Advocating for
Chronic Conditions, Entitlements and Social Services (ACCESS) is a nationwide
program dedicated to helping find solutions to the social and economic problems
that confront families facing chronic disorders. An ACCESS advocate can help
answer questions, provide up-to-date information, help determine your
eligibility for benefits, and help with the application process. The services
provided by ACCESS are offered without charge to people with numerous chronic
disorders, including multiple sclerosis. For more information, please call
1-888-700-7010.
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