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finding your true path

i am adopted, and had a number of step dads while I was a kid.  Looking back I can see the hallmark indicators of reactive attachment disorder (RAD) in myself.  Not as bad as our David, but still there.  I am the way I am today because of two reasons.

  1. A probation officer gave me two choices.  One was prison, the other was a group home for teens.  (I chose the group home)
  2. I attended anger management classes, because I knew I couldn’t live my life the way that I was.

To say that I was angry as a teen would be a bit of an understatement.  To say that I was mean to my family would also be an understatement.  I make no excuses for my behavior.  Can’t take it back, so the only way is to move forward.

A big part of my growth away from the RAD behaviors was also a bonus of my time in the service.

Am I saying that anger management courses are the solution for all kids with reactive attachment disorder?  No.  Definitely not.  But finding the right combination of therapies and, if needed, medications will see the child through.  Hopefully to a safer path in their life.

I will forever be grateful to the many people that helped me find the tools necessary to change my life.  I pray that David finds his way with the help of the people that are in his life.  Even if the people not directly involved, namely mom and I, aren’t the ones who get the credit.

It is more important to me that he finds his true path in this life.

not all serious

We aren’t always serious here in WhyNotFather’s Home.

One of my boys and I were having fun…

 

I know it is sideways.

A bit about Insurance, Medicare and the ACA.

I don’t like to wax politically on my blog.  To me there is enough of that going around that one more opinion really isn’t going to matter.

That changed today when I took my wife to the dentist.

See, she is covered by an employer plan at the school where she teaches.  One that she pays a portion of.  This year, we decided to add myself as well as the kids to the plan.  We qualify for Medicaid, but that has a “Recipient Liability” of 2500 a month.  “Recipient Liability” is another name for deductible.  We pay the first 2500 dollars of our medical expenses out of pocket each month when we are on Medicaid for each member of the family except David.  Now, in the event of a hospitalization, this would be a savior for us.  (For info about why David is exempt see the end of the post.)

Anyway, back to the dental appointment today.  A few weeks ago, my wife broke a tooth.  Doesn’t matter how.  It happens.  So we worked on getting her an appointment.  Today was that day.  3 hours into the visit… they have cleaned her teeth, they have done all of the x-rays, and completed the examination.

Verdict?

Two crowns. One root canal.

Cost?  Roughly 1700 dollars.  Our cost after insurance.

Oh and it gets better.  Each insured has a 1500 dollar cap per year.  Insurance won’t pay more than that amount.

So since, we are basically poor enough to be on Medicaid, we don’t have 1700 dollars laying around to fix these two teeth.  Guess that we can look forward to spending that tax return at the dentist this Spring.

I can’t wait to find out how much it costs to fix my teeth next week when it is my turn in the chair.  My mouth is affected in part by a large variety of medicines that have side effects that are harmful on tooth enamel.  I am on Medicare because of disability, but guess what?  Medicare doesn’t cover dental or vision.

The premiums that we pay to get dental and vision insurance for myself and the kids would cover the cost of her crowns.

 

English: Barack Obama signing the Patient Prot...

English: Barack Obama signing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act at the White House Español: Barack Obama firmando la Ley de Protección al Paciente y Cuidado de Salud Asequible en la Casa Blanca (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One other thing.  Because I am on Medicare, I am exempted from the ACA.  That is what the site told me when I went to apply.  I haven’t applied for the family yet.  But will be doing so soon.

David, because he was a special needs adoption gets Medicaid until he turns 18.  This is a part of his adoption package.  Thus, it isn’t income based.

 

 

 

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