The Red Brick Times

Last Thursday was my first appointment at The Cleveland Clinic in hopes of getting on their kidney transplant list. That list is shared between The Clinic, University Hospital and Akron General, all of whom do transplants. Toledo and Ohio State have separate lists which I could also try to get on should I choose. Whichever hospital does the transplant is the one you would have to go to for weekly follow ups so distance is a concern.

At the Clinic the normal first step involves meeting with six people and paying $6,000. The $6,000 is their consultation fee and does not include the myriad tests they then require before you're considered for the list. I don't know exactly what those tests would cost but $10,000+ is a good ballpark estimate. I told them I could not cough up $6,000 at this time so they arranged a limited meeting for free with only three of the normal six team members.

First up was the transplant coordinator, a woman named Jacyn(?). She would be my main contact throughout and was an impressive person. I learned a lot from her. On a scale of 1-10 she was a 9.5.

Next was the financial coordinator which turned out to be two older women, one of whom spoke a very accented english and the other so old as to hardly be able to speak at all. Because their office was an open cubicle next to a large (and noisy) waiting room this turned out to be a problem. All I have insurance-wise is Medicare and, though Medicare will cover a transplant, it only pays 80%, which will leave me with a huge financial responsibility. In addition a successful transplant means taking anti-rejection drugs for life. Those drugs cost $1,000 per week. After a successful transplant Medicare coverage is terminated at 36 months so as a then uninsurable person I would have to pay for those drugs out of pocket. Not likely. The financial coordinators suggestion? Transfer all my assets to someone else and apply for welfare. Umm... that's about ten kinds of illeagle. You can go to jail for that kind of scam. My pointing that out didn't matter to the financial coordinators and that was the only advice they were willing to give. These two are the best the esteemed Cleveland Clinic can offer? I rate them 0.0.

Last, a social worker. Every stereotype you've ever had about what a social worker would look and act like fits this woman to a tee, so much so that while waiting for my appointment in a very large and busy area I picked her out at first site. She called my name and off we went to a corner of a busy (and again noisy) room where she pretended to be a psychiatrist and tried to figure out if I ever wanted to fuck my mother. She didn't ask that directly but I'm sure you get my drift. She also demanded the names of six people whom she could call and ask about me. I told her I'd have to get back to her on that one. I was severely tempted to toy with her but didn't. What a waste of time. A 0.5 if ever there was one.

So... I dunno. The transplant coordinator is supposed to get back to me early next week with their initial findings. My feeling is that unless I can somehow prove the ability to pay the 20% Medicare won't cover, and the $1,000 per week for drugs, I'll be told not to darken their doorway again.
Posted 10:34 AM by whatley (7) comments

       Comments:

There was a banner in the main transplant area office congratulating themselves on their 3000th transplant. Where do all these people get the money? I was told I'm much younger than the average transplant patient so I'm thinking that most patients 1) have private insurance coming in and 2) are old enough that Medicare will still be in effect after the 36 months because they're over 65.

# posted by  whatley : July 20, 2008 2:34 PM
 
They got back to me. They said, in the nicest way possible, not to darken their doorway again.

# posted by  whatley : July 24, 2008 12:24 PM
 
Move to New Zealand?

# posted by  Andy : July 26, 2008 9:40 AM
 
Andy - Are you coming home anytime soon? I got chores for ya!

# posted by  whatley : July 27, 2008 4:40 AM
 
Things are piling up. I need to excavate my garage so I can see the walls, but am never there to put out the piles for pickup. My niece got preggers and will be married to her pregger-boy Sept 6 and the family will gather in support. My sister wants me to drop in and work on her expectant daughter's rental house in Columbia Station. Betsy's daughter just bought a house and needs help with structural mods in Parma. I need to be in Ohio on Aug 30 for Betsy's parents 60th wedding anniversary celebration. Twenty-five percent of my cheap contractor's pay goes into the 70-mile daily commute. The rest just about breaks even for keeping taxes, insurances, utilities and caloric intake up to date. Entertainment budget involves peddling my three-ton, 40-year-old steel-framed Ross 10-speed around East Lansing. Good leggsersize. The MSU campus has many garden areas, empty roadways and pedestrian paths while summer keeps the kids away. There is also a long rail-to-trail path (like the one from Kipton through Oberlin to Elyria) that starts in Jackson, Michigan. I haven't explored that one yet.

You got simple stuff (light fixture fall down go bzzzt!) or complex (move roofline three inches to left)?

# posted by  Andy : July 27, 2008 10:51 AM
 
Leaky kitchen faucet (I want to buy one with a spray attachment) and a drain maybe needing snaked.

# posted by  whatley : July 27, 2008 5:39 PM
 
Ah! Kitchen remodel!

# posted by  Andy : July 29, 2008 5:30 AM
 
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