Monday, April 21, 2008
I haven't written anything in awhile-just trying to make it one day at a time. Here is my problem-I live in Illinois approx. 60 miles south of Chicago. I am on Public Aid for my healthcare coverage because I have been turned down for every private insurance policies because of all my "pre-existing" conditions. I cannot find a pain clinic that accepts public aid. I have spoken with my primary doc about this and he doesn't know what to do either-he is a good dr. but does not prescribe any of the usual chronic pain drugs. He has giving me a referral-but it does no good if I cannot find a pain clinic to accept public aid. Is there anyone out there that can offer some advice and try to help me?
ello,
I feel for you and can relate to your problem. I am on Medicaid and suffer with Fibromyalgia, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, and chronic back pain. I was having a hard time finding a pain management clinic in Indiana that would take my insurance. My doctor's office did find a few that took Medicaid. One clinic would only take two Medicaid patients a month, there was no list, you simply had to be one of the first two callers at the beginning of a month. Isn't that about the stupidest thing you ever heard of? Another didn't take Medicaid patients outside of its county. Anyway, what I did was I got online (www.Webmd.com) and did a search for pain management doctors in my area. Then I called every one of them asking if they took Medicaid. I finally found one about 60 miles away although I am not happy with him, all he has done is prescribe narcotics so far, when I told him that I had received trigger point injections and spinal blocks that did help when I lived in Colorado.
When I get my Medicare in a few months, I'm going to go to the Cleveland Mayo Clinic. Be careful of those pain specialists that only want to prescribe you narcotics and make you sign a contract. There is a possibility of addiction and its your fault if you do get addicted not the pain clinic. Read the contract carefully. Anyway, I hope this gives you some useful information. Another thing you might try is to find a specialist that treats your condition. Often they will prescribe pain meds.
Fellow chronic pain sufferer,
Amy
Geneva, IN
Hi Amy
Thanks for you comment on my sharepost. I have heard that some of the teaching hospitals in chicago take medicaid-have you heard anything about that?
northwestern takes medicade paitents. so does university of chicago, but i do not reccomend them. trying to get out of there in fact. you do not mention if you have a intrathecal pump or not. doctors in the state of illinois will not take a paitent who allready has one. i found this also via medtronic who makes the device. i wish you the best of luck