Newly Diagnosed - Limited Financial Potential?

[47DegreesNorth]

Hello,
I am newly diagnosed as of 2 months ago. At the moment I work full time and I'm also a student. I barely qualify for Washington State's evergreen program ($32,000 a year) which helps pay for most HIV related items but pay small amounts for certain things.

After I finish college one day I hope to have a higher paying job, buy a decent home, a car... just like everyone else. But I'm starting to feel like my financial potential has become limited making some of these things harder to come by. Since I barely qualify for this WA State program taking a small raise could cut me out.

My question is, for those who have a nice paying job, do you pay the true med, doc, lab values? Such as the $2000/month for meds, and the hundreds of dollars in doctors and lab bills? 

Just been thinking about my future - It's been keeping me up at night.
Any thoughts?

THANKS!

[phildinftlaudy]

Hey second:
I have a good job, good pay, and great health benefits.  Premiums for my health, dental, vision and life insurance are all employer paid.  I pay $45 co-pay when I see my ID doc (specialist) and $25 co-pay for primary care visits.  My labs cost me zero.  My HIV meds (Atripla) is a $60 month copay; however, I am on Atripla assistance program (which has no income limitation) and pay zero out of pocket for copay.  Other meds (non-HIV) run me $10-$20 a month. 

A decent job - to me - is one that offers good pay, but more importantly, with our condition, offers great benefits.  I have been fortunate in this area.

I'm sure you will do fine - just know that the benefits side of things is just important - if not more important - than the salary.

[Assurbanipal]

The statistics are that the majority of workers in the US have jobs that provide decent health care coverage that includes coverage for HIV-related care.  If you are healthy and able to work, as Phil pointed out, you want to look for a job with good health benefits.  Generally, the larger the company, and the higher the average wage at that company, the better the health benefits.  

As you start to look for a job you should also know that it is perfectly routine and acceptable to ask about the benefit programs before you accept a job offer.  Many people do -- it won't "out" you to an employer.  Typically the information will be included with the formal job offer -- if it isn't, that is the appropriate time to ask (don't do it at the interview).

Out of the 260 million people too young for Medicare, there are roughly 50 million people without insurance and another 20-40 million that have really lousy health insurance that covers next to nothing but minor illnesses.  Those numbers include a lot of people living with HIV, but not all of them.  Many people living with HIV get their coverage through the employer-based system (it may even be most people, but these numbers are hard to find and verify).

One of the biggest problems in getting to a healthcare system that would work well for everybody is that for many people (including most voters) the current system works well.  So find yourself a great job, with good benefits .... but fight for universal health coverage and the implementation of the health care reforms on the weekends.

Be well
A


**edit --typo -- must fix spell check access

[Hellraiser]

Hello,
I am newly diagnosed as of 2 months ago. At the moment I work full time and I'm also a student. I barely qualify for Washington State's evergreen program ($32,000 a year) which helps pay for most HIV related items but pay small amounts for certain things.

After I finish college one day I hope to have a higher paying job, buy a decent home, a car... just like everyone else. But I'm starting to feel like my financial potential has become limited making some of these things harder to come by. Since I barely qualify for this WA State program taking a small raise could cut me out.

My question is, for those who have a nice paying job, do you pay the true med, doc, lab values? Such as the $2000/month for meds, and the hundreds of dollars in doctors and lab bills? 

Just been thinking about my future - It's been keeping me up at night.
Any thoughts?

THANKS!

I actually went through this same thought process not long after diagnosis as I was unable to work for a good solid 6 months after I got out of the hospital.  In reality once you have your virus under control and fatigue is not an issue (it was for me) you should be able to do anything you want.  I do now look for benefits in a potential employer before I even consider pay; that's how important that aspect of a job is to me.  As Pal mentioned you can reasonably investigate health benefits when you are mulling over a potential job offer.  Once they tell you what carrier they use you can research them online.  I don't see any reason if you're not currently unable to work that in your immediate future you will not be capable of doing whatever you wish.  As long as that doesn't include giving blood.

[47DegreesNorth]

Thanks guys,

I didn't even think about the health benefits/insurance coverage from a good job. This makes a lot of sense. It makes me feel a lot better.

 

[Jeff G]

Thanks guys,

I didn't even think about the health benefits/insurance coverage from a good job. This makes a lot of sense. It makes me feel a lot better.

 

The advice about planning for benefits and insurance is spot on and crucial for your future . I know this from mistakes I made and it cost me dearly so if I were young again and planning my life this particular aspect of insurance and benefit planning would be # 1 on my list of things to pay attention to . I just thought it was worth saying it again .