Took my dog for a walk and voted already here, before 9 a.m, was already #391, in Oconto Falls Wisconsin. There was no lines, but seemed a lot have voted already. Snotty Walker’s intimidation of voters began today! Was asked for my picture ID, reminded my license expires in December. I know, but costs $34 to renew, but can go online to fill out form, print it and then go to DMV, to get new license and save time with already filled out form.
Didn’t know if I would have the money to do it right now. Had smashed my handicapped accessible van, with ramp on back, so easy to use with my power chair, made it much easier for me to come and go as I please without needing assistance.
Nice to have almost $300 a month free, not have anything to worry about here in low-income housing. Had depended on Medicaid transportation, for Dr Appointments, so easy, call or go online, schedule ride with vendor, with vans and able to keep going to appointments, no problem. Then the scheduling service did not always provide all the information needed, to the van service.
They came several times with a regular van, I don’t walk, and connot stand without my braces, anymore, since I didn’t want to risk falling, because I was stumbling a lot and worried about walking with the braces and crutches, may fall and break, or do something to one, or both arms, not to mention, my head. If so, would have to go to nursing home, because couldn’t take care of myself, depend on my strong arms to move me around, in and out of bed, take shower, dress and undress etc.
Usually was the scheduling service not relaying all information to van service. Had 2 doctor appointments scheduled for same day, do both in one shot and take care of both of them, at one time. Had appointments scheduled and it would have worked out, but came with regular van, so called scheduling service, but no rides that day, with van with ramp.
Had to re-schedule doctor appointments, but could not schedule for same day, had to do 2 separate days. One in Appleton, but one would be closer, in Green Bay. Then when I rescheduled the one in Appleton, about an hour away, got there, appointment only lasted about a half hour, since it was just a follow up to surgery I had several years ago. Came out, no van, called and tried to tell me I only scheduled one-way! In beginning, I had scheduled return trip also!
I couldn’t proove that it was my own error, so had to sit in doctor office for 4 hours. Secretary worried about my ride, but had to wait for local van service to finish with their current client, before he could come pick me up. Didn’t even have change for vending machine, for snack and soda, so there I sat.
Secretary soon to close office, wondering what I was going to do, luckily van driver arrived and took me home. He told me how unreliable the scheduling service was, trying to save money, changed scheduling service, now have multiple problems since it does not communicate to the van service like it should.
Had wondered why there could not be a direct link between the scheduling service and the van provider, so when I went on the website, scheduled the ride, telling them I am in a power wheel chair and need a van with a ramp or lift, why they couldn’t schedule it, then pass the form I filled out, online, to the van service to avoid any mistakes, so they could see all the information I had put in, without the ride scheduler putting the information in, then sending it to the van service.
The van provider told me there are so many foul ups, with the current scheduling service and the prior one, they had no problems with, but Medicaid wanted to save money, but then got a scheduling service they could not depend on. Since the same van provider was used most of the time, they decided to put my inforamtion in their system that I needed a van, with a ramp, so if the scheduling service neglected to tell them that, they would have me, in their system, and would know I needed a van with a ramp.
I had stopped using the transportation service, because it was unreliable because, since they were the middleman, they did not pass all the information on to the van provider. I decided to buy a car, which I could afford, and borrowed the money for it, so now, no longer have that extra money left over after my current bills, which makes things tight, after paying my monthly bills.
Since I did not use the Medicaid Transportation service, in 2015, I was not aware of what our wonderful Rethug Governor had done. He had rescinded the 130% of the poverty rate, for Badgercare, and dropped it down to the previous 100% of the poverty rate, which meant now, if I made over $595 a month, I no longer qualifed for the better Badgercare plan.
With my $997 benefit, with the 130% of poverty rate, had qualified for Badgercare, Wisconsin’s version of Medicaid, because I was under the cut off amount. With Badgercare, I qualifed for the transportation service.
Our previous governor, Jim Doyle, a Democrat, I might add and a Democratic Legislature, had raised the limit you could earn and still get Medicaid. It had been 130% of the poverty rate of $595, before Snotty came into office.
Since Snotty came into office, he has slowly been chipping away at our benefits and the Rethugs were passing legislation to undo, what the Democrats had accomplished. He has taken Wisconsin backwards so far, it will take a long time, once we are able to get a Democratic governor again and a Democratic Legislature.
Last year, when I found out I no longer qualifed for Badgercare, I was frantic, because with my income, Badgercare was covering my share of the medical bills, from Medicare. I had pituitary surgery on September 11, 2009, (9/11 terrorist attacks anniversary) to remove as much of the tumor as the surgeon could. I had been losing the field of vision, in my right eye and after an MRI they noticed a tumor, which was so large, it was pressing the optic nerve, which was causing my loss of field of vision, in my right eye.
Since the tumor was so large, the surgeon did not want to risk surgery and possibly cause me to lose my sight, so only removed the majority of it and then I had Cyberknife treatment which targeted the rest of the tumor, which involved a lot of medical expense in 2009 as well as the following years, when I had to return for follow up MRI’s.
After Snotty ended up kicking me off Badgercare, I qualified for MAPP, Medical Assistance Purchase Plan, so was paying for my Medicaid coverage. Now I had to satisfy a $4,500 deductible, so this year, when I wanted to schedule a ride, I no longer qualified.
I had to meet the $4,500 deductible now, before I could use the transportation service! So, to get this straight, I had to have $4,500, in medical bills, to satisfy the deductible, so I could use the transportation service, to take me to the doctor or hospital where I would be treated and receive a medical bill, which would go toward the deductible! Sounds pretty stupid, I need medical bills, to go toward my deductible, of $4,500, before I qualifed for the transportation to the doctor or hospital, where I would incur the bill! SOUNDS SO VERY LOGICAL! HA! HA!
If I have in kind services, I can fill out a form, which would qualify me to use the service. Since my neighbor watches my dog, I would have to give him soda or something, for watching my dog, before I would qualify for the transportation service. YES, VERY LOGICAL, VERY LOGICAL INDEED! Now I have to jump through a few more hoops, thanks to Snotty!!!
In the mean time, we suffer with all his rotten decisions, especially now with his, and the Rethug Legislature’s, fraudulent, discouraging people to vote, by trying to pass legislation requiring photo ID and requiring so many different forms of ID, to prove you are eligible to vote in Wisconsin.
The last election, the courts kept the requirement from applying to that election, but then let it apply to this election. I always thought it was our God Given Right, as an American Citizen to vote and not for the Rethugs to make it even more difficult for us to vote, if we did not have a photo ID.
Their law targeted Milwaukee and other large cities here, where there was a large populations of African-American, Mexican, Latino, Asian populations along with a lot of people without transportation to go or afford the necessary documents they needed, to prove they had a right to vote.
They knew certain populations didn’t have the money or where-with-all, to get registered to vote. I hope someday a law will be passed when you turn 18, you are automatically registered to vote and do not need all the documents the Rethugs are now requiring you to have, just to be registered to vote!
Things had been going good, until the Rethugs got into power and Snotty was elected governor, now we are constantly going backward, as the Rethugs unwind all the great things the Democrats had accomplished! The only voter fraud is the way the Rethugs are trying to tip the election results in their favor, by all their voter suppression laws and district Gerrymandering, setting it up so there are more Rethugs in a district, so they would have the most Rethug constituents to vote in Rethug representatives, so they can accomplish their agenda and the Democrats have no power to stop it.
As far as Medicaid, if I made under the amount, which was over $1,000, I was eligible for Badgercare, which is Wisconsin’s version of Medicaid. Having Badgercare, I was eligible for the van scheduling service, since my $997 monthly benefit, was below the threshold, in order to get Badgercare, since I was 130% of the poverty rate here, in Wisconsin.
Thanks to Snotty, he rescinded the 130%, which our Democrats had gotten through and put it back to 100% of the poverty rate, of $595 a month. If you make more than that, you do not qualify for Badgercare, because you “make too much money each month”!
Things had been going okay, with me, because I was able to qualify for MAPP, Medical Assistance Purchase Plan, but now had to meet a deductible, before I was covered under Medicaid! Snotty was so proud of refusing the Medicaid expansion, which the Federal Government had offered, like most of the other Rethug Governors.
Now I no longer qualified for regular Badgercare, so they would pay right away, instead of having to make a deductible and pay a premium each month for Medicaid. I was lucky to also find a program, which paid for my premiums of over $100, for Medicare and $50, for Medicaid. With MAPP, I was lucky to get a version of Medicaid, but now had to meet a $4,500 deductible, in order to use the transportation service Medicaid provided.
I had become so disillusioned by all the problems with the Medicaid transportation scheduling service, that I went out, in January 2015 and was able to buy a car, so I can put a wheelchair, in my trunk, since I had totalled the van and no longer had the nice ramp I could use with my power chair. Now, I need assistance getting in and out of the car with it.
Prior to this yea