Tuesday, September 30, 2008

when cranberry juice is expensive

so because we are penniless & insurance-less (ben's school doesn't offer insurance, neither does ben's part-time job), yesterday we took a trip to the medicaid office so that we could have the ability to go to the doctor.

anyway, you know you're in for a good time when you walk up to the front doors & you're greeted by a shaky man who immediately asks you if you have a cigarette. you are clearly looking pregnant in your maternity shirt, and you're holding the hand of your toddler.

"um, no" i say. and sigh. i had the feeling it was going to be a long morning.

so here are highlights:
  • ben had the pleasure of sitting next to a lady who the medicaid workers knew by name. good sign. she spoke non-stop, to herself. however ben, being the nice guy he is, doesn't realize she is out of her right mind until she starts telling him about her urinary tract infection. then these words start flying out of her mouth, and i quote:
"i'm in so much pain that even the highest dose of Oxycontin doesn't do jack."

"i take enough drugs to get us all high."

"my daughter told me she was no longer my f'ing bank."

"because of my urinary tract infection, i have to buy the special cranberry juice and that d*#n stuff is $6 a bottle."

by this time, ben knew.
he got out a book and just started reading as she rambled away.

  • the man with the tattoos on his eyelids.
  • being asked to wait over 3 hours to even be seen...i had been up since 5:30 and as 10am neared, i bristled. ben told me to take a walk so i could "cool off" so out into the 100 degree heat i went. i came back in even more fired up than when i left. and now, to top it off, sweating.
  • caleb getting exhausted & laying face down on the nasty floor. as he got up ben remarked that he probably picked up some form of diptheria. that's better than what i was thinking he picked up. (an STD)
  • when we finally were seen by our case worker, kaita, ben started asking about any job openings there. our case worker was really nice & had a good sense of humor. that is, until ben started joking about arriving for his interview wearing only a tie. (it came out of left field, but i think he was trying to make her laugh) it clearly made her nervous.
  • nearing noon, caleb nearly had a meltdown when we informed him that not only could we not take kaita's miniature toy killer whale home with us, but also couldn't take the pen that was attached to her desk with a chain. it was a near-miss in the catastrophe section.
  • we were told we were the only people that smiled when our picture was taken for our insurace i.d. cards. i asked "why's that?" and she replied, "most people are ticked off that they're even here." fair enough.
that being said, it's done. we are insured so now i can get my first check-up since week 12. halleluyer. ben also sent a resume in to apply for a job. hopefully kaita has nothing to do with the hiring process. she might deter him a little, knowing his plan to "wow them" when he walks through the doors.

11 comments:

Ty said...

you guys are impossible to get a hold of. Love you.

Ty said...

DUDE! you gotta check this girl out. She's gonna be big. watch a few videos. I haven't found a song I didn't like yet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TME8THB7WzA&feature=related

peace

Rachel H. said...

DON'T YOU JUST LOVE the excitement that comes with all these govt.programs? WAY more stories than anyone should EVER have to go through! :)

Mike and Jenny said...

Sounds like a horrible day. I am so sorry. Hopefully things will start looking up. Maybe Ben could give you an interview in a tie only :)

Carlee and Curt said...

Medicaid is......WOW! We were on it all through school, and as much as we were grateful for it, it is a pain in the bum!

Tui Family said...

Wow! Thanks for sharing the excitement with us! I know it's not nice to laugh at someone else's expense...sorry! I totally feel for you though...I found myself in their office in California and it was quite the experience! Hang in there...one day you will look back and laugh about it! =)

Dana Broderick said...

Yes, the good ol' Medicaid stories. We got on Medicaid when Ryan was in MBA school. But it's free and you can't argue with that, especially when you realize how much debt your going into, it's nice when something is free! Can't wait to see you guys tomorrow!

Andrea said...

if they knew that man was gonna be doing some P90X they would have been a bit more excited for Ben in only a tie...their loss!

Brooke said...

Do you ever wonder if someone else is writing about you and how you were the crazy person they met at the Medicaid office? Who knows. Sorry you had to go through that, but I'm grateful for help when we need it - right?!

Mick and Tiff said...

What can I say, you still have crazy stories and you aren't even at the group home anymore. I love it! Although, I am sorry that it was such a ordeal. That part is not cool.

Lauren Horsley said...

Well nobody said free stuff was necessarily pretty, right? I'm guessing it was all worth it, though. And I'm so glad you were able to get it taken care of - can't wait to hear how your dr.'s appointment goes!