[Anursesson]

Hi, I'm a 27 year old surveyor (construction). I have quite the dilemma so I joined this community to be able to speak to professionals in the field my mother so enjoyed and toiled for years in. She was/is a married LPN for 24 years before she had to retire due to a Mitral (sp.) Valve Replacement in 1995, for which she is doing extremely well with... considering it's life expectancy was 10 years before they believed the buildup on it would be too much (if I recall correctly as that being the reason). Well she was totally covered under my fathers insurance, which was awesome, thru Uhaul. But he became disabled (federally, gets support (Medicare from the government, or at least will get)). Luckily he was pretty high up in the company and knew the owner. They extended his insurance the last two years so that he and my mother could continue to enjoy the coverage and peace of mind. Well, unfortunately that coverage will be coming to an end soon and my mother will not be eligible for Medicare for another year. She tried to apply for disability herself but was denied, even thought the DMV has issued her a placard and she has to re-cert every year because its a heart condition. I even tried to see if I could get her covered under my insurance through my work, but I'd have to claim her as a dependent but i'm unable to do that (well still looking into what I need to do). They are under a limited income (SS) and I do what I can to help support them.
Now with the background complete I come to my main question.
Q) Does anyone know if there are any type of organizations (national or local) or ways that may be able to help my mother getting some form of coverage and/or even just some assistance with the bills?
I live in New Mexico, as do my parents. It's just so dangerous, in her condition, to be w/o any insurance. Any help anyone can give me I would be most gracious for and forever in debt to.

[celtictides]

I belong to the National Psoriasis Foundation and listed on their message board was this address:

http://www.patientadvocate.org/

This site helps individuals with chronic health conditions with assistance programs for medical needs and personal emergencies.

First, there is www.uneedpsi.org

This organization helps individuals PAY health insurance premiums (including COBRA and high risk pool plans). They will also help pay copayments.

PSI provides the following programs which will complement any established and existing "patient assistance program". According to the particular chronic illness or medical disorder, PSI can provide one of the following services:

Premium Assistance Program

Cobra Payments
High-risk Payments
Open-enrollment Payments
Guaranteed Issue Payments
Full Assistance or Share-of-Cost

Copayment Assistance Program

Full Assistance or Share-of-Cost
Spend down Assistance

Financial Hardship Waiver Program

Determine eligibility for Copayment Waiver
Determine eligibility for Compassionate Product

*************************************
Families affected by the illnesses listed below are eligible to apply, regardless of income.
Acromegaly Disorder
- Hormonal Disorder Resulting In Abnormal Growth
Alpha1-antitrypsin Deficiency- Lung Disorder
Breast Cancer
- Uncontrolled Growth of Breast Cells
Colorectal Cancer
- Cancerous polyps of the Colon and Rectum
Chemotherapy Induced Anemia
- Low Level of Red Blood Cells
Chemotherapy Induced Neutropenia
- Low Level of White Blood Cells
Chronic Renal Insufficiency
- Kidney Failure
Crohn's Disease
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Fabry Disease
- Enzyme Deficiency Disease
Growth Hormone Deficiency
- Endocrine Disorder
Hemophilia
- Blood Clotting Disorder
MPS-1 - Hurler/Scheie
- Enzyme Deficiency Disease
Multiple Sclerosis
- Nervous System Disorder
Plaque Psoriasis
- genetic immune-mediated chronic skin disease
Primary Immune Deficiency
- Immune System Disorder
Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Systemic Autoimmune Disease
Other illnesses soon to be announced
Simply contact the office staff at, 800-FON-PSI 1 (800-366-7742) to discuss concerns and request an application. Upon receipt of a completed, you will be informed as to how PSI may assist you. If approved, assistance will be granted for a maximum of two years pending availability of PSI funding. Should you require assistance beyond the two-year period, you must contact PSI and submit a new application.

Also, there is the http://www.healthwellfoundation.com

This organization also helps with insurance premiums and copays.

The HealthWell Foundation™ offers two types of assistance: copayment assistance and premium assistance.

Copayment Assistance: The Foundation will offer monetary assistance with insurance copayments to eligible patients.

Premium assistance: The Foundation also will provide monetary assistance to eligible patients seeking help paying for insurance premiums.

How it works: Patients will submit invoices or receipts to receive their monetary assistance awards. The monetary awards are typically sent to the insurer, pharmacy, physician, or other provider. However, the award can be sent directly to the patient to reimburse them for copayments that they must pay themselves. Patients will be allocated a monetary grant for full or partial assistance for up to a 12 month period.

The HealthWell Foundation will not restrict the medications that patients use as long as the medication is approved by the Food and Drug Administration and falls within a funded area. Also, the Foundation will not restrict the provider that the patient selects to use.

Patients affected by one of the following illnesses should contact the HealthWell Foundation to determine if they may be eligible for help:

Psoriatic Arthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Secondary Hyperparathyroidism (oral therapy)
Psoriasis

one more:

www.netwish.org
This is a non profit organization that likes to grant "wishes" for up to $500!!
Anyway, these organizations are here to help people who fall through the cracks.

I obtained this information from the message board there and had saved it. I had a feeling this could be handy information to have on hand to share with others. I hope this helps!!

[penelopelp]

NM has some programs that could help you. It is set up for people who can't get health insurance on their own because of the cost and/or pre-existing conditions. We had very good luck with it.
http://www.nmmip.com/

[elprup]

To help with prescription costs you can contact the company the makes her medications; Many of them have programs that supply free/low cost meds to patients with no insurance/no prescription insurance. I found the info in a small paperback called "free and low cost prescription drugs" by the cost containment research institute. I have no idea where i got it but maybe you can google the name and find a copy online? Inside this book is something called "the medicine program" (for free meds), you can call them at 1-573-996-7300. I have no idea if this number is still good but it is worth a shot.

It states that there are other discount mail order med services;

www.drugplace.com
www.rxusa.com
www.rxuniverse.com
www.usmedication.com

like i stated before, I have no idea if these places are still around but maybe give it a shot if it comes down to it.

Wish I had more.
take care.