Tuesday October 8, 2013
So, again I am up before 7 and having my coffee and sitting down with the laptop getting more info on my new illness and the hospital. But, now I am in how is this illness going to effect my family financially mode. It has been on my mind over the past many days. But, today I had more information on how long at a minimum I would be off and I needed to know what kind of paycheck I would be getting over this time and what cost the insurance company was going to push my way.
I call my supervisor I ask him about our short term disability benefit and fill him in on the information that was given to me yesterday by Dr. Brinker. He tells me he thinks it is 100% pay for the first 6 months and then it goes to long term disability at 60%. But, he wasn't absolutely sure so he tells me he will contact HR and get back with me.
That would have been fantastic... but, he calls back after a little while and informs me that AEP had restructured that benefit and it was now based on seniority. Something that just changed this last year. Lucky me! Because I only have 2 1/2 years with AEP I was only eligible for 5 weeks at 100% and then it drops to 60% for the rest of the first 6 months. I would also find out later that they go back 12 months from the time of this reported illness and deduct any sick time you have taken from this 5 weeks. Because I have been dealing with this since June I think I lost an additional 5 days. So, needless to say this information starts to make me worry.
I had found out from the insurance company that I would be responsible for at least $3000.00 of the bills incurred for me alone during this illness. We already had some outstanding medical bills from Karlye breaking her wrist earlier in the year that I was planning on taking care of with the extra money I was going to be making in the outage. So, not only am I not going to be working the outage and now I will not be getting a full paycheck. I have added an additional $3000.00 plus in bills. And of course since my doctor tells me that I will be off work 6 months this will run past January so all the deductibles will reset and that will be another $3000.00 plus dollars in deductibles. So, basic math this illness just added $6000.00 plus in bills to my already reduced income.
I know that most people don't talk about their financial situation because it can be embarrassing to admit that life has taken things out of control for you. Most will blame the person. Oh, you were just irresponsible with your money. It is your fault that you are in this situation. But, there are times that life puts you in a bad financial situation without you doing it to yourself. I mean who ever thinks that they will have an illness that might kill them and they will have to be in the hospital for 6 months to a year trying to get cured. I know I didn't. The most I planned for is like being off work a week for the flu. Nothing like this.
We have bills. Bills that are based on a 40 hour a week paycheck and a two income family. We live paycheck to paycheck just like everyone else. I happened to take a pay cut to go to work for D.C. Cook knowing that in three to five years I should be making more than what I was making at Eaton Corporation. But, for two years I was making less... way less and we scrimped and scrapped to make it to this point. You see at Eaton there was always overtime. I rarely worked a 40 hour week until I came to work at D.C. Cook. I have averaged 50 hours a week for more than 20 years and many a week more than that. It was an adjustment going to work for D.C. Cook where overtime was little and far between except when it comes to outages. A 30 day outage is where you make some money and it helps to pay off bills and get a few extras that you haven't been able to afford until that point.
I won't go into to much more. But we had setbacks along the way that I had not counted on. Six month into working for D.C. Cook and on our vacation a pipe burst in our master bathroom and flooded out bathroom and bedroom. Insurance covered most of the remodel. But, Cindy and I did all the work. A project that ended up taking more than a year when all was said and done. It also cost more than the insurance company paid so we had extra expenses for that. Then all the extras that go along with two girls in high school with one graduating and needing the gown, invitation and of course grad party all things that a husband and father is going to find a way to supply no matter what. And then there is college and the expenses of books and tuition. But, we had been making it. It just seemed like every time we turned around there was something breaking or needed fixing or replacing. And now this.
So, I will admit that this might push us into bankruptcy. I have even asked if it would affect my job if I had to do it and luckily it will not. One of my biggest fears is that my illness will ruin us financially. I want to be able to enjoy camping with my kids and grandsons when this is all said and done. But, as of right now I don't know how this is all going to play out. How do you plan when you don't know from week to week how long you are going to be in the hospital? When or if you be able to go back to work at all after you get out of the hospital?
Because of the financial situation Cindy has used some sick time and vacation time to be with me during important events. She stayed with me the first few days. But, she had to go back to work. Not where she really wants to be I know. I wish the situation was different and we could be together more but we have to settle for one night a week and Saturday and Sunday. That is the best that we can do.
I would later find out that if this illness last more than 6 months and goes into Long Term Disability then I will still get paid at 60% but I will have to pay for my health insurance. No idea what that will cost. What a mess.
So, the day flows like this. I work on financial stuff as much as I can. We are expecting a call between 8 and 9 a.m. from bed management at Butterworth Hospital. Well 10:00 comes and nothing. So, I call and have trouble getting through to the number I was given. So, I call the operator and she gets me transferred to finally to bed management. I talk to Kari. She tells me that she is the only one and I will be dealing with her directly. But, at this time there is not a room available and probably will not be until the afternoon sometime. Because the doctors have to do their rounds and then do all the discharge paperwork. That usually takes most of the day. That I am the first one on the list and she will contact me as soon she has an open room.
So I take advantage of the extra time and just keep working on last minute issues.
This extra time has allowed me to setup access to important files and information that I might need while I am in the hospital and I have the ability to pay the bills from there. Among other things. It is good to know a little about computers and be able to set this stuff up.
Finally it is around 3:00 p.m. and still no call from the hospital. So, Cindy and I discuss that one of us should just call Brinker's office and have them deal with getting me a room. I don't feel like messing with it and that is what they are supposed to be taking care of. Cindy makes the call and gets them to look into it. I tell Cindy if it is going to be too late then I will just wait one more day and go tomorrow. But, we eventually get the call at around 5:30 that a room is available. Kari tell me they need an hour to clean the room. But, since I live one hour and twenty minutes away that it will be ready by the time I get there. I am given instructions that we will have to check in through the Emergency room because the hospital is locked down at 6:00 p.m. But, that they will direct me to my room and get me all checked in.
I think Karlye had something after school and we had last minute things to take care of before we headed to the hospital so we didn't end up leaving for the hospital til after six. I think we got there around 7:30. We find and drive into the emergency entrance eventually and explain to the guard what we were told. He tells us we can park in the garage and come back through that entrance to check in.
We park and get all our luggage and stuff and make the walk back to the entrance. They direct to a check in person and they show us how to get to the Oncology floor where we are to check in and get to my room.
We do all the check in stuff after we get to the room with the nurse and get settled in for a long couple of days.
The first two things of importance on the schedule are getting a Muga scan and getting my PIC line installed. Both of which initially were to be scheduled for tomorrow. But at around nine my nurse comes into inform me that they can't do the Muga until 5:00 p.m. tomorrow or we can do it at 10:30 tonight. I tell her lets do it tonight and get it over with. Little did I know that it was going to take an hour and a half. It is after midnight and time for bed. Tomorrow is another day with new adventures in store.
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