Solutions?

So, we have an issue that has come up against us...I will get to what it is in a second. We have been calling different people in charge trying to come up with solutions. These are some of the ideas that we have received:

1. get a divorce, still live together, but have Kahri get on welfare.
1a. same as above, but also claim Kahri as a live in nurse.
2. move to a different state
3. have Michael step down from his position and take a lesser paying position.
4. have Michael quit his job and get a completely different one.
5. work out a series of benefit concerts.
6. put Kaedy's name on a jug and have people contribute to a "Kaedra fund" at local Walmarts.
7. have more kids so you can claim them(okay, I can HONESTLY say that this has NEVER been a reason I have considered for having more kids)


Aren't these lovely "solutions?" They were all given to us by supposedly intelligent people who were being serious at the time!

So the issue we are up against? Our insurance is changing as of Jan 1st. Neither of the two choices we have for new insurance will take care of our nursing needs (not to mention other of Kaedy's needs). One of them will only pay $1000 maximum per month in nursing and the other will pay 80%. The first one would cover not-quite two days out of the month, the second - if we are only responsible for 20% of our nursing, that will still be approx $3800 a month! Add the lifetime max to the equation and Kaedra will only be able to have a few more rib surgeries. We are applying for a program called TEFRA for supplemental aid with Kaedra. I was told the other day, by someone from the county health office, that Kaedra seems far too healthy to qualify for that. She actually said, "you will do a lot better if Kaedra could be really sick on the day they come out to meet her!" She stopped just short of suggesting poisoning! (JK...well, sort of) We were originally told that our insurance wanted to institutionalize her because it would be cheaper. Now we are being told, because she is too "well" to be institionalized, we can't get government aid.

The "solutions" I listed above? They are from Michael's employer's health insurance dept, our nursing company, the county health dept and the insurance companies. Some of them (namely "solutions" 1-4) were named by more than one source!! YES! We got told by TWO different people to GET A DIVORCE!!! All four mentioned Michael taking a cut in pay so we could qualify for Medicaid. I can't count how many times people have told us to move to a different state so we could qualify for more state aid. "You just need to get yourself below the poverty level." Hmmmmm and all this time I thought we were trying to get people OUT of poverty!

Okay, I am closing my mouth now.