[imaginethat]

If you are unemployed, what kind of health insurance do you have? Affordable Care/Obamacare is one option I can think of.

I'm wondering if it will be hard to find affordable health insurance with bipolar and anxiety diagnoses.

I'm dealing with a really negative, anxiety provoking work environment. The only way I can handle it is to quit. It's causing me too much anguish and worry. HR and my manager won't do anything about the situation.

I would be quitting without finding another job. Frankly, my mind is so messed up, I don't know if I'm in the mental shape to find another job.

I've tried a whole bunch of stuff to handle the anxiety. I go to therapy once a week. See a psychiatrist. Meditate daily. Write in my journal. Talk to friends. Go to a few support groups. None of them are working.

Buspirone and clonazepam have not helped.

Your advice is appreciated. I'm really drowning.

[*Beth*]

I don't know if you're in the U.S., and if you are, which state you're in. If you're low income, the step you need to take is to apply for Medicaid. Medicaid is health insurance for low income people. Most likely, you would apply through the Department of Health and Human Services where you live. It takes some perseverance, but the end result is well worth the effort. If you want to speak with a worker (employee), I suggest you call exactly when your local office opens (probably 8 a.m.). If I need to speak with a real person I start calling at 1 minute to 8. If I call later than when they open and have to wait, the wait is often around an hour.

Once you talk to someone they will likely send paperwork for you to fill out. The process goes from there.

If you are not low income then yes, Obamacare would be the way to go.

[Soupe du jour]

Hi imaginethat. Are you sure that with a different job things would likely be much better? If so, then you might want to start looking for a job, asap. In the meantime, could you perhaps look into the Obamacare options? Or maybe cross your fingers for a month or two, until you get a job? If something really unexpected happened, there are sometimes financial help situations for emergency care. Maybe your psychiatrist and therapist would be willing to lower their fees, temporarily? You could ask. Do you have enough meds for a few months? Such as through mail order? When I first moved from the US to Europe my doctors prescribed large amounts of meds to last me until my new insurance kicked in. I filled them while I still had health insurance in the US.

If you think any work would be tough right now, perhaps talk to your psychiatrist and therapist about a possible mental health leave from your job. Short-term disability would be a good option where you could keep your insurance and even get a bit of pay, for a while. That is if your employer offers that, and your doctor and therapist request it for you. If you could get on short-term disability, you could use that time to look for another job.

[Mountaindewed]

Is Medicare an option? If you are considered disabled or over 65. I don’t know how that works though. I got on it when I was 14 and I’m now 28 and still have it. I know some people think that no child left behind thing was a bunch of ********. But it helped me out a lot.

[imaginethat]

Originally Posted by BethRags

I don't know if you're in the U.S., and if you are, which state you're in. If you're low income, the step you need to take is to apply for Medicaid. Medicaid is health insurance for low income people. Most likely, you would apply through the Department of Health and Human Services where you live. It takes some perseverance, but the end result is well worth the effort. If you want to speak with a worker (employee), I suggest you call exactly when your local office opens (probably 8 a.m.). If I need to speak with a real person I start calling at 1 minute to 8. If I call later than when they open and have to wait, the wait is often around an hour.

Once you talk to someone they will likely send paperwork for you to fill out. The process goes from there.

If you are not low income then yes, Obamacare would be the way to go.

Thanks, @BethRags. My income is probably too high to quality for Medicaid. I'll keep your thoughts in mind if my income every drops for some terrible reason.

[imaginethat]

Originally Posted by Mountaindewed

Is Medicare an option? If you are considered disabled or over 65. I don’t know how that works though. I got on it when I was 14 and I’m now 28 and still have it. I know some people think that no child left behind thing was a bunch of ********. But it helped me out a lot.

@Mountaindewed, my income is probably too high for Medicare. Thank you for the suggestion though.

[imaginethat]

Originally Posted by Soupe du jour

Hi imaginethat. Are you sure that with a different job things would likely be much better? If so, then you might want to start looking for a job, asap. In the meantime, could you perhaps look into the Obamacare options? Or maybe cross your fingers for a month or two, until you get a job? If something really unexpected happened, there are sometimes financial help situations for emergency care. Maybe your psychiatrist and therapist would be willing to lower their fees, temporarily? You could ask. Do you have enough meds for a few months? Such as through mail order? When I first moved from the US to Europe my doctors prescribed large amounts of meds to last me until my new insurance kicked in. I filled them while I still had health insurance in the US.

If you think any work would be tough right now, perhaps talk to your psychiatrist and therapist about a possible mental health leave from your job. Short-term disability would be a good option where you could keep your insurance and even get a bit of pay, for a while. That is if your employer offers that, and your doctor and therapist request it for you. If you could get on short-term disability, you could use that time to look for another job.

@soup du jour, any work would be very tough right now. I'm absolutely spent.

That's a good idea to talk to my therapist and psychiatrist about this. Maybe all I need is some time off. I don't know anything about short term disability. That's something to check into.

[BeyondtheRainbow]

Originally Posted by imaginethat

@Mountaindewed, my income is probably too high for Medicare. Thank you for the suggestion though.

Medicare doesn't have an income limit. But you have to be on social security disability (SSDI) or retired on social security and you have to be on SSDI for 2 years before you qualify.

Obamacare sounds best for you. There are no pre-existing condition restrictions anymore so that shouldn't affect things for you. I don't know how that works but I'm sure someone does.

It sounds like maybe considering a short term disability break if that's an option for you may be best. If you don't get better now working then you have a clue that you may want to apply for SSDI or SSI (depends on how much income and quarters working you've had over some time frame I no longer remember but want to say is 10 years).

[Victoria'smom]

You may want to take time off to do a php or IOP if they're options in your area. If you need job help maybe vocational rehabilitation can help.

[imaginethat]

Originally Posted by Miguel'smom

You may want to take time off to do a php or IOP if they're options in your area. If you need job help maybe vocational rehabilitation can help.

I hadn't thought about an IOP. I'll look into that.

[imaginethat]

Originally Posted by BeyondtheRainbow

Medicare doesn't have an income limit. But you have to be on social security disability (SSDI) or retired on social security and you have to be on SSDI for 2 years before you qualify.

Obamacare sounds best for you. There are no pre-existing condition restrictions anymore so that shouldn't affect things for you. I don't know how that works but I'm sure someone does.

It sounds like maybe considering a short term disability break if that's an option for you may be best. If you don't get better now working then you have a clue that you may want to apply for SSDI or SSI (depends on how much income and quarters working you've had over some time frame I no longer remember but want to say is 10 years).

My only worry about ST disability is that I could lose my job while I'm out. I just don't trust any employer right now.

[BeyondtheRainbow]

Are you eligible for FMLA? If you are they can't let you go while on STD for up to 12 weeks.

You have to have worked for your employer for 12 months and have worked 1250 hours in the last 12 months.

[imaginethat]

Originally Posted by BeyondtheRainbow

Are you eligible for FMLA? If you are they can't let you go while on STD for up to 12 weeks.

You have to have worked for your employer for 12 months and have worked 1250 hours in the last 12 months.

I am eligible for FMLA. At least I'd have a job for 12 weeks!

[BeyondtheRainbow]

Short term disability really saved me a few times when I was working. I wouldn't have made it as long as I did without it. STD + IOP would probably be really beneficial. And it gives you time to think about what your next step is. Once I used the time to find a job that had less of a commute; later I used STD to be sure I was too unwell to return. Once I used the time to address some hard stuff in therapy while getting a bunch of med changes and recovering from lithium toxicity. And once I used it to get past a bad drug reaction (double vision from Abilify; I couldn't see to drive).

I hope something works out for you.

[imaginethat]

Originally Posted by BeyondtheRainbow

Short term disability really saved me a few times when I was working. I wouldn't have made it as long as I did without it. STD + IOP would probably be really beneficial. And it gives you time to think about what your next step is. Once I used the time to find a job that had less of a commute; later I used STD to be sure I was too unwell to return. Once I used the time to address some hard stuff in therapy while getting a bunch of med changes and recovering from lithium toxicity. And once I used it to get past a bad drug reaction (double vision from Abilify; I couldn't see to drive).

I hope something works out for you.

Thanks, @BeyondtheRainbow., for your encouragement. It means a lot.

Did you have to deal with coworkers treating you differently after you returned? I work in a small tightly knit group. I'm sure that even though going on disability is supposed to be confidential, word would get out.

[BeyondtheRainbow]

You're welcome.

I was fairly open about my situation so my co-wokers (there were only a few of us as contracted rehab employees to nursing homes) mostly already knew about my diagnosis before I went on leave. People outside of rehab knew I was out on medical leave but that was it. I'm sure people outside rehab wondered where I was but nobody gave me a hard time about it. I was able to use other things as explanations, like when I was hired for my new job while on disability I told them I was off for a thyroid problem. It was true that my thyroid was a mess and I'd been getting my meds adjusted, it just wasn't the whole truth.

[imaginethat]

Originally Posted by BeyondtheRainbow

You're welcome.

I was fairly open about my situation so my co-wokers (there were only a few of us as contracted rehab employees to nursing homes) mostly already knew about my diagnosis before I went on leave. People outside of rehab knew I was out on medical leave but that was it. I'm sure people outside rehab wondered where I was but nobody gave me a hard time about it. I was able to use other things as explanations, like when I was hired for my new job while on disability I told them I was off for a thyroid problem. It was true that my thyroid was a mess and I'd been getting my meds adjusted, it just wasn't the whole truth.

I hope you're feeling better. "on medical leave" is a fairly general term. It could apply to anything, so that's good.