New Job, Getting Off SSI...

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LKBamberg

New member
Brief background of myself. I studied biology and biochemistry and graduated in december of 09. I've been on SSI for having a feeding tube from age 14-17. I was temporarily kicked off after a medical review when I was 20, but appealed the decision successfully.<br><br>After college, I applied for a couple of jobs in my field (lab research) but didn't hear back. I started pedicabbing under the table. It became easy to live off that cash, which was about $1000/mo, plus the 674 in disability and foodstamps. It was tough before I had boost covered by medicaid, as I drink $300 or so a month worth.<br><br>Now I am finally out of credit card debt and my finances couldn't be better. Last week I got an interview for a job I applied for in the middle of the night (honestly out of boredom), and I nailed it. And got the job. It's in a lab, testing bioassays for various diseases.<br><br>It was an awesome victory. I felt stuck before, comfortable, and lazy. Now i'm fulfilling my career goals of eventually getting my PhD, and you guessed it: doing CF research.<br><br> I have full benefits with this job, medical, dental, 401k, flex account,
etc. And there are a couple of plans that should cover all my medical
costs with or without deductibles depending on the plan. It seems like a dream come true honestly. I grew up in extreme poverty and I've been on medicaid since I was 6 years old. And not only will I have fulfilled financial success, but I can TAKE CARE of my health without always worrying about the republicans getting elected, or Texas axing ANOTHER medicaid program, or any other thing that can affect my government dependability.<br><br>I have a couple of concerns. First of all, despite the fact that Texas medicaid is ranked 50/50 in this country, and yes, republicans have cut funding before and there is a 2012 fear I have, it is rather comfortable to have a check and know I can go to the ER. With a job, I have a new fear: getting laid off, getting fired for whatever reason, such as getting sick and missing work. <br><br>If that happens, I dont' think I'll be able to get back on SSI. Furthermore, I still want to go to grad school. I'm scared of what i'll do about insurance once I quit my job. <br><br>I'm planning on calling SSI, the CF Legal Hotline, and consulting with my social worker on advice. But if anyone has any experience in this area, please let me know.<br><br>And feel free to congratulate me <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif" border="0"> I'm really excited!<br><br>
 
L

LKBamberg

New member
Brief background of myself. I studied biology and biochemistry and graduated in december of 09. I've been on SSI for having a feeding tube from age 14-17. I was temporarily kicked off after a medical review when I was 20, but appealed the decision successfully.<br><br>After college, I applied for a couple of jobs in my field (lab research) but didn't hear back. I started pedicabbing under the table. It became easy to live off that cash, which was about $1000/mo, plus the 674 in disability and foodstamps. It was tough before I had boost covered by medicaid, as I drink $300 or so a month worth.<br><br>Now I am finally out of credit card debt and my finances couldn't be better. Last week I got an interview for a job I applied for in the middle of the night (honestly out of boredom), and I nailed it. And got the job. It's in a lab, testing bioassays for various diseases.<br><br>It was an awesome victory. I felt stuck before, comfortable, and lazy. Now i'm fulfilling my career goals of eventually getting my PhD, and you guessed it: doing CF research.<br><br> I have full benefits with this job, medical, dental, 401k, flex account,
etc. And there are a couple of plans that should cover all my medical
costs with or without deductibles depending on the plan. It seems like a dream come true honestly. I grew up in extreme poverty and I've been on medicaid since I was 6 years old. And not only will I have fulfilled financial success, but I can TAKE CARE of my health without always worrying about the republicans getting elected, or Texas axing ANOTHER medicaid program, or any other thing that can affect my government dependability.<br><br>I have a couple of concerns. First of all, despite the fact that Texas medicaid is ranked 50/50 in this country, and yes, republicans have cut funding before and there is a 2012 fear I have, it is rather comfortable to have a check and know I can go to the ER. With a job, I have a new fear: getting laid off, getting fired for whatever reason, such as getting sick and missing work. <br><br>If that happens, I dont' think I'll be able to get back on SSI. Furthermore, I still want to go to grad school. I'm scared of what i'll do about insurance once I quit my job. <br><br>I'm planning on calling SSI, the CF Legal Hotline, and consulting with my social worker on advice. But if anyone has any experience in this area, please let me know.<br><br>And feel free to congratulate me <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif" border="0"> I'm really excited!<br><br>
 
L

LKBamberg

New member
Brief background of myself. I studied biology and biochemistry and graduated in december of 09. I've been on SSI for having a feeding tube from age 14-17. I was temporarily kicked off after a medical review when I was 20, but appealed the decision successfully.<br><br>After college, I applied for a couple of jobs in my field (lab research) but didn't hear back. I started pedicabbing under the table. It became easy to live off that cash, which was about $1000/mo, plus the 674 in disability and foodstamps. It was tough before I had boost covered by medicaid, as I drink $300 or so a month worth.<br><br>Now I am finally out of credit card debt and my finances couldn't be better. Last week I got an interview for a job I applied for in the middle of the night (honestly out of boredom), and I nailed it. And got the job. It's in a lab, testing bioassays for various diseases.<br><br>It was an awesome victory. I felt stuck before, comfortable, and lazy. Now i'm fulfilling my career goals of eventually getting my PhD, and you guessed it: doing CF research.<br><br> I have full benefits with this job, medical, dental, 401k, flex account,
etc. And there are a couple of plans that should cover all my medical
costs with or without deductibles depending on the plan. It seems like a dream come true honestly. I grew up in extreme poverty and I've been on medicaid since I was 6 years old. And not only will I have fulfilled financial success, but I can TAKE CARE of my health without always worrying about the republicans getting elected, or Texas axing ANOTHER medicaid program, or any other thing that can affect my government dependability.<br><br>I have a couple of concerns. First of all, despite the fact that Texas medicaid is ranked 50/50 in this country, and yes, republicans have cut funding before and there is a 2012 fear I have, it is rather comfortable to have a check and know I can go to the ER. With a job, I have a new fear: getting laid off, getting fired for whatever reason, such as getting sick and missing work. <br><br>If that happens, I dont' think I'll be able to get back on SSI. Furthermore, I still want to go to grad school. I'm scared of what i'll do about insurance once I quit my job. <br><br>I'm planning on calling SSI, the CF Legal Hotline, and consulting with my social worker on advice. But if anyone has any experience in this area, please let me know.<br><br>And feel free to congratulate me <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif" border="0"> I'm really excited!<br><br>
 
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Havoc

New member
Congrats! Regarding getting sick or laid off, there are options, especially now that you have a higher income. When I worked for the hospital system in Pittsburgh, I had short term disability which kicked in after a week of being off work for illness or injury. This way if I needed to be hospitalized for any length of time I still had income. I also saved my PTO days (until I went to Italy <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif" border="0">).

After I left my desk job, I got insurance similar to Aflac. It paid you while you couldn't work, and in some circumstances it paid you for relatively minor injuries.

If you can get at least 10 people from work to sign up for supplemental insurance like that, they give everyone a discounted rate. It's something you might look into.

Best of luck.
 
H

Havoc

New member
Congrats! Regarding getting sick or laid off, there are options, especially now that you have a higher income. When I worked for the hospital system in Pittsburgh, I had short term disability which kicked in after a week of being off work for illness or injury. This way if I needed to be hospitalized for any length of time I still had income. I also saved my PTO days (until I went to Italy <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif" border="0">).

After I left my desk job, I got insurance similar to Aflac. It paid you while you couldn't work, and in some circumstances it paid you for relatively minor injuries.

If you can get at least 10 people from work to sign up for supplemental insurance like that, they give everyone a discounted rate. It's something you might look into.

Best of luck.
 
H

Havoc

New member
Congrats! Regarding getting sick or laid off, there are options, especially now that you have a higher income. When I worked for the hospital system in Pittsburgh, I had short term disability which kicked in after a week of being off work for illness or injury. This way if I needed to be hospitalized for any length of time I still had income. I also saved my PTO days (until I went to Italy <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif" border="0">).
<br />
<br />After I left my desk job, I got insurance similar to Aflac. It paid you while you couldn't work, and in some circumstances it paid you for relatively minor injuries.
<br />
<br />If you can get at least 10 people from work to sign up for supplemental insurance like that, they give everyone a discounted rate. It's something you might look into.
<br />
<br />Best of luck.
 
L

LKBamberg

New member
Thanks. yeah I am offered long term and short term disability, as well as a flexible bank account for medical expenses that stays with me after I quit or leave for any reason.

Those are some good tips, and I'll look into them. I don't start until October so that gives me some time to set things up.
 
L

LKBamberg

New member
Thanks. yeah I am offered long term and short term disability, as well as a flexible bank account for medical expenses that stays with me after I quit or leave for any reason.

Those are some good tips, and I'll look into them. I don't start until October so that gives me some time to set things up.
 
L

LKBamberg

New member
Thanks. yeah I am offered long term and short term disability, as well as a flexible bank account for medical expenses that stays with me after I quit or leave for any reason.
<br />
<br />Those are some good tips, and I'll look into them. I don't start until October so that gives me some time to set things up.
 
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scanboyd

Member
<P>Congrats on getting a job LKBamberg. Go for both the long term and short term disability. It will be worth it's wt. in Gold one day maybe. Definitely worth the bucks!! It paid off for me many times over. Drawing 2/3 of my salary until age 66 and can keep employers insurance, secondary ins., until I kick the bucket, my meds. are the big ticket. </P>
<P>Get the flex spending account, try to figure out how much your copay will be for the yr. Pre tax bucks for this. Good luck and hope you never have to use the dissability ins. </P>
 
S

scanboyd

Member
<P>Congrats on getting a job LKBamberg. Go for both the long term and short term disability. It will be worth it's wt. in Gold one day maybe. Definitely worth the bucks!! It paid off for me many times over. Drawing 2/3 of my salary until age 66 and can keep employers insurance, secondary ins., until I kick the bucket, my meds. are the big ticket. </P>
<P>Get the flex spending account, try to figure out how much your copay will be for the yr. Pre tax bucks for this. Good luck and hope you never have to use the dissability ins. </P>
 
S

scanboyd

Member
<P>Congrats on getting a job LKBamberg. Go for both the long term and short term disability. It will be worth it's wt. in Gold one day maybe. Definitely worth the bucks!! It paid off for me many times over. Drawing 2/3 of my salary until age 66 and can keep employers insurance, secondary ins., until I kick the bucket, my meds. are the big ticket. </P>
<P>Get the flex spending account, try to figure out how much your copay will be for the yr. Pre tax bucks for this. <BR><BR>Good luck and hope you never have to use the dissability ins. </P>
 
P

peter

New member
Congratulations Bamberg. Commendable to have such aspirations to super qualify yourself. Healthcare is confusing to predict but I believe it'll be single payor(national health or socialism health) like the military,Medicare, and Medicaid (and really police, fire, and teaching, if you think about it). People with wealth will still have special opportunity and access but the cost of 40 million (and growing) uninsured is a far worse posture for carrying an unknown disease/injury population stratum than full basic coverage-for-all with it's inherent cost sharing.

I know someone with 2 grown children, one trying to finish college and maybe look to be a nurse (he'd be a fantastic one), the other an Ivy grad woman whose job she chose for caring for that uninsured/Medicaid stratum who relies on state and federal taxpayer support. Her charges don't have to show up at ER's for free because they have universal health, and she herself a product of a full tuition scholarship, paid for by others of course, and not choosing to go to wall street but rather help "us other taxpayors" with a low paying job (philanthropic really) caring for a stratum that would cost us more if not helped by her. She has been quarterbacking her mother's cancer care which today turned south with no further hope for a quality life,having endured endured chemo and radiation now metastasized to her brain.

The point of this lengthy post: Her mother has been a low wage single parent since her son was 2. She constantly denigrated "Obamacare" once it was dubbed that. She had "insurance" with her low wage job: $5,000 total hospital care. I didn't know it could be legal for a policy like that to exist. Since last October charity care has covered everything for her. Everything.

A) she didn't refuse her "socialized care" that she so much dogmatically opposed in her healthy days
B) her two financially strapped children will not have the regret or remorse that everything she needed, that they could not afford, wasn't done because of their somewhat indigent circumstances
C) the public through an ER/ED didn't get caught off guard by someone who slipped through the rocks.

I posted this here as an opportunity to consider your health concerns and voice a point of view, contrary to some who might think you should fend for yourself without a "safety net", based on humanitarian values no stronger, or defended more earnestly and vigorously than by the United States of America.

As full disclosure, let me say I served in the USAF 1966-1972, used the GI bill and then some to become a healthcare practitioner, employer of 30 clinic employees with full health benefits and 401k.
 
P

peter

New member
Congratulations Bamberg. Commendable to have such aspirations to super qualify yourself. Healthcare is confusing to predict but I believe it'll be single payor(national health or socialism health) like the military,Medicare, and Medicaid (and really police, fire, and teaching, if you think about it). People with wealth will still have special opportunity and access but the cost of 40 million (and growing) uninsured is a far worse posture for carrying an unknown disease/injury population stratum than full basic coverage-for-all with it's inherent cost sharing.

I know someone with 2 grown children, one trying to finish college and maybe look to be a nurse (he'd be a fantastic one), the other an Ivy grad woman whose job she chose for caring for that uninsured/Medicaid stratum who relies on state and federal taxpayer support. Her charges don't have to show up at ER's for free because they have universal health, and she herself a product of a full tuition scholarship, paid for by others of course, and not choosing to go to wall street but rather help "us other taxpayors" with a low paying job (philanthropic really) caring for a stratum that would cost us more if not helped by her. She has been quarterbacking her mother's cancer care which today turned south with no further hope for a quality life,having endured endured chemo and radiation now metastasized to her brain.

The point of this lengthy post: Her mother has been a low wage single parent since her son was 2. She constantly denigrated "Obamacare" once it was dubbed that. She had "insurance" with her low wage job: $5,000 total hospital care. I didn't know it could be legal for a policy like that to exist. Since last October charity care has covered everything for her. Everything.

A) she didn't refuse her "socialized care" that she so much dogmatically opposed in her healthy days
B) her two financially strapped children will not have the regret or remorse that everything she needed, that they could not afford, wasn't done because of their somewhat indigent circumstances
C) the public through an ER/ED didn't get caught off guard by someone who slipped through the rocks.

I posted this here as an opportunity to consider your health concerns and voice a point of view, contrary to some who might think you should fend for yourself without a "safety net", based on humanitarian values no stronger, or defended more earnestly and vigorously than by the United States of America.

As full disclosure, let me say I served in the USAF 1966-1972, used the GI bill and then some to become a healthcare practitioner, employer of 30 clinic employees with full health benefits and 401k.
 
P

peter

New member
Congratulations Bamberg. Commendable to have such aspirations to super qualify yourself. Healthcare is confusing to predict but I believe it'll be single payor(national health or socialism health) like the military,Medicare, and Medicaid (and really police, fire, and teaching, if you think about it). People with wealth will still have special opportunity and access but the cost of 40 million (and growing) uninsured is a far worse posture for carrying an unknown disease/injury population stratum than full basic coverage-for-all with it's inherent cost sharing.
<br />
<br /> I know someone with 2 grown children, one trying to finish college and maybe look to be a nurse (he'd be a fantastic one), the other an Ivy grad woman whose job she chose for caring for that uninsured/Medicaid stratum who relies on state and federal taxpayer support. Her charges don't have to show up at ER's for free because they have universal health, and she herself a product of a full tuition scholarship, paid for by others of course, and not choosing to go to wall street but rather help "us other taxpayors" with a low paying job (philanthropic really) caring for a stratum that would cost us more if not helped by her. She has been quarterbacking her mother's cancer care which today turned south with no further hope for a quality life,having endured endured chemo and radiation now metastasized to her brain.
<br />
<br />The point of this lengthy post: Her mother has been a low wage single parent since her son was 2. She constantly denigrated "Obamacare" once it was dubbed that. She had "insurance" with her low wage job: $5,000 total hospital care. I didn't know it could be legal for a policy like that to exist. Since last October charity care has covered everything for her. Everything.
<br />
<br />A) she didn't refuse her "socialized care" that she so much dogmatically opposed in her healthy days
<br />B) her two financially strapped children will not have the regret or remorse that everything she needed, that they could not afford, wasn't done because of their somewhat indigent circumstances
<br />C) the public through an ER/ED didn't get caught off guard by someone who slipped through the rocks.
<br />
<br />I posted this here as an opportunity to consider your health concerns and voice a point of view, contrary to some who might think you should fend for yourself without a "safety net", based on humanitarian values no stronger, or defended more earnestly and vigorously than by the United States of America.
<br />
<br />As full disclosure, let me say I served in the USAF 1966-1972, used the GI bill and then some to become a healthcare practitioner, employer of 30 clinic employees with full health benefits and 401k.
<br />
 
M

melx

New member
Go for it! Congrats! If your CF becomes more complicated and more challenging many many years down the road.... the STD, LTD and if needed SSD will kick in.
Working is an invaluable life choice - there is so much to gain - way beyond just the income.
 
M

melx

New member
Go for it! Congrats! If your CF becomes more complicated and more challenging many many years down the road.... the STD, LTD and if needed SSD will kick in.
Working is an invaluable life choice - there is so much to gain - way beyond just the income.
 
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