My Psoriatic Arthritis Insurance Dilemma

Can I start by telling you I do not like insurance companies and all the drama they bring when trying to get proper treatment?

I haven’t had proper treatment when it comes to my psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis for years, which I know has gotten worse because of the lack of treatment. Maybe I should start from the beginning to fill you in more.

I was so happy when Congress finally passed a healthcare plan that took away pre-existing conditions. For the first time, I could finally get health insurance where I could not before.

With the Affordable Healthcare Plan, I was finally able to see a rheumatologist and dermatologist. I could and did get proper care. Then Congress passed the medical expansion bill, and our great governor quickly jumped on it.

The challenges of Medicaid

With a stroke of a pen, our governor signed the medical expansion bill into law. Without notice, I received a letter in the mail saying that I had been switched to Medicaid.

I was happy at first, thinking that I would not have to pay out of pocket for anything. Trust me, I wish I still had the Affordable Healthcare Plan. It would have been better than the nightmare of insurance I currently deal with.

Because Medicaid payments are not timely, a private rheumatologist will not accept them. I am stuck going to a place for care that doesn’t have the proper doctors on staff.

It is such a waste of time. They tend to focus more on my psoriasis than my psoriatic arthritis. Even that is a fight with them when I tend to know more about the right treatment than they do.

Renewal or risk loosing access to care

Since the pandemic is over, Congress is cutting the funding. That means all the people who qualified for Medicaid before now either must renew or are being cut from Medicaid entirely.

In my state of Louisiana, it is estimated that more than 160,000 people will lose Medicaid. Herein lies my problem. I have been notified that I need to renew Medicaid.

Do I want to do this, at this point, knowing I can’t get proper care? In my mind that is a hard no.

Once I am not on Medicaid, I can go back to the Affordable Healthcare Plan insurance and get way better treatment by being able to see the proper doctors. However, hunting for a rheumatologist and telling my whole story again is so mentally draining. It all feels like a big I can’t win the moment.

A personal decision

Given all I have told you, what would you do? My every instinct is telling me to lose Medicaid. Don’t even try to renew it.

Do I try to stay on it simply because the cost of medication can be a lot? If I switch back to the Affordable Healthcare Plan, I can apply for patient assistance programs, which I currently cannot do because I am on Medicaid.

Maybe you are in the same boat I am in. I am sure this is happening in other states as well.

If it is happening to you, what did you choose, or did you have a choice? More importantly, what does it mean in your psoriatic arthritis treatment? I would love to hear about it.