Question:
I have no insurance... Any advice on where to begin?

Hello, I'm 20 years old, and has been working through a temp agency and have been cut back to only weekends. I don't have any insurance, and I make 9/h but now I'm only working on weekends. I probably can be approved for medicaid but I really don't want to go through that process again (It is so embarrasing where I am). Is there any way I can buy insurance? Like low-cost insurance that I can pay for by the month? And another thing, I am also with Vocational Rehabilitation and I seen someone mention them, and I do indeed feel that my weight has hindered my employment because I have been working through this temp agency for another company and they cut all temps to the weekends and even cut some completely off. The Manager had cut me completely off also, and I looked on the list to see who he kept, and most of the people he kept were not as reliable or flexible as me, and a couple of them come to work when they feel like it. So I felt this was unfair and confronted him about it, and he made up a lame excuse that it was the way I dressed/don't follow dress code. Keep in mind that I wear jeans and sweaters the same as everyone else in the department. So he decided to put me on the schedule for one day of the weekend, and I was the ONLY temp that had one day. I went in Sunday dressed in business/casual attire and was the ONLY ONE DRESSED UP!!! So I asked around and got the same response: There is no general dress code in our department and the MAIN manager (the one over the one I deal with) Had on JEANS and a TEE-SHIRT. I don't know if this man has something against me or not, but I feel discriminated against. I also noticed some of the temps he kept didn't even show up...we'll see if he kept them this weekend. Sorry about the long post... The only health problem I have is acid reflux, plus I did have a colonoscopy 2 years ago because I was having blood in my stool, and I still have blood in my stool. Diabetes runs on both sides of my family, and I have been "diagnosed" as being bi-polar, but I feel that is an incorrect diagnosis because my mother has bi-polar and me and her are nothing alike. My Bmi is 45% so I think I have a chance...Also my Father has hypertension but I don't know if that is hereditary or not.    — M L H. (posted on November 14, 2001)

November 13, 2001
You should check out QuickQuote.com they can give you quotes for several health insurance plans, based on some answers you give to simple questions. Check it out, it may be helpful. My fiance got his health insurance through them.
   — Deborah W.

November 14, 2001
Vocational Rehab pays IF your weight is effecting your ability to work (not limited to pain in the back, knee pain, no energy, stress incontence (sp), difficulty breathing (shortness of breath), depression, and etc).Please check into this as I know of 2 people that have used this service to have their surgery.
   — Melody F.

November 14, 2001
Voc. Rehab should pay if it is effecting your employment. Of course I tried to get them to pay for mine here in KY but they didnt have te funds at the time. As far as the Bipolar goes. My mother and three of my sisters have bipolar disorder and they all act diffrently. One sis becomes evil when she is maniac and can not tolerate people being in her way, cause she has stuff to do. Her twin becomes sexual. (sleeps arround a bit) and spends money like crazy even if she dont have it. She has had up to 9 credit cards at a time and no way to pay. The other sister talks ALOT and has actual aches and pains when she is maniac. They are all diffrent when they hit bottom as well. So I guess I'm saying you still could be bipolar. There are as many diffrent medications to treat it as there is different reactions to it. Hang in there. I'll be glad to tell you more about bipolar if you want to e-mail me.
   — sherri W.

November 15, 2001
Quote.com didn't have anything listed for North Carolina, so if anyone stays in North Carolina and purchases their own insurance, please help me. I am seriously considering surgery, but I just don't have the funds. As for being bi-polar, I believe I was misdiagnosed, I mean they told me this when I was 12, how can you tell a 12 year old this type of stuff. I believe they said it just because my mother told them she was. Just because mother has it doesn't automatically mean I have it. And they had me on all types of medicine, they had me on so much of it that I started losing my hair and eyesight and I started shaking uncontrollably and I had a couple of seizures in my sleep. Every now and then I still shake from the side effects, they had me on 4 medications at one point, Lithium, Haldol, Paxil, and another one for side effects that added side effects. I refuse to take any more medication, and I have survived without it.
   — M L H.