I recently had an accident where I slipped on ice in my apartment parking lot and broke my wrist. I’m 33 and work two jobs – one in a restaurant and another in retail. I won’t be able to work at the restaurant for about 8 weeks, and that’s my main income source. The retail job can take me back with one hand, but I only work limited hours there each week. I haven’t had insurance for a long time since I’ve been pretty healthy, but now I definitely need it.
Since I’m in New York, I’m confused about my options. I called the New York State Marketplace, but they couldn’t tell me if I’m eligible for Medicaid. They need more income documents for my application, which I’m sending in soon. I’m really hoping for coverage for this injury, especially for my follow-up appointment in 8 weeks. I was told that just scheduling the appointment would cost me $1000 if I pay out of pocket. I have to make that payment soon. Is it crazy to hope that I can get help covering this event and my ER bills later? Should I keep pushing for Medicaid even though I really don’t want to pay health insurance for a whole year just for this one event?
To give you an idea about my income, my restaurant income varies a lot because it mostly comes from tips. So far this year, my gross is around $5000 from the restaurant. I’ve also got about 20 hours of sick pay that I can use. After that, I’ll only be making about $1k a month from my retail job while I’m in the cast.