day 5: the paperwork

I went to see the Social Worker's office on Monday, to seek advice on how we could possibly get a discount on the implant and the hospital bill.  There was a long queue, but I went straight up to the office and asked to see the Head.  My aunt said the Head was her classmate back in college, and we hope she would be remembered, enough to give me a few minutes.

It worked.  If looks were real daggers, I'd have been dead in about ten seconds.  The Head let me in, got my references, and asked about my patient.  She asked about my work, my husband's work, my sources of income. I promptly got scolded.  She said I shouldn't be the one going to the offices, because I didn't look like I couldn't pay.  I didn't look pitiful enough.  And because it was my nanny, I really should pay because I was the employer.

But she was honest.  She said we could try filing for financial assistance.  There's the Sweepstakes Office, the ABS-CBN and GMA7 Foundations, and the various politicians who have medical funds.  But we have to be prepared to keep the patient in the hospital for about six months.  None of those agencies would do reimbursements, which means that the patient has to wait for the funds to be released before any procedure could be done.  I asked about the timetable.  The waiting time to be scheduled for a PCSO interview is 3 weeks; another 3 weeks for the processing of papers, and then you wait for the funds to be approved.  How long, she can't say.  The waiting list is long, and they also weigh the urgency of the situation.  The children get prioritized, because it's easier to pity a child who got run over by a tricycle than a 42-year-old woman with a fractured leg.  Senator's offices?  Sure, we can file the paperwork, but there are only certain days for filing.  Also, you see, it's close to election time, so they tend to be very busy.

She said that the way she sees it, we really have to buy the implant if we wanted Ate Malou to be treated soon.  She advised that I should make sure her Philhealth is in order.  That way, we could get discounts on the hospital bill.  I thanked her and suffered more dagger looks on my way out.

So today, Tuesday, I went to Ortigas early in the morning.  My plan was to go to the Philhealth office in Shaw Boulevard first thing, then go to the office to settle some pending work.  I was in Shaw Boulevard fresh and early--- then I learned that the office had transferred to San Miguel Avenue.  By the time I got there, it was past 8:00 am and there was a queue.  I learned that Philhealth is under new management, and so they weren't releasing new Philhealth IDs.  (This did not affect me, because Ate Malou already has her ID, but they sent quite a few disgruntled members away.)  They asked me to fill up a payment form, and when I reached the counter, I was told that there was a new rate.  Instead of P100 per month for the voluntary contribution, it was now P150 per month.  I paid six months' worth of contributions, because they only accept payments in Philhealth offices.

I had with me a form from the Philhealth office in Orthopedic, with a list of the documents that I need to attach.  Just to make sure, I made duplicate copies of everything, even Ate Malou's Philhealth ID.  I went back to Orthopedic, of course there was a queue, and the guy at the desk said he needed another copy of this and another copy of that, and once I had completed them, I was to come back to him.  I've had enough. I told him that their form only specified one copy of the application, one copy of the proof of payment, and two copies of the MDR (Member's Data), so that's what I'm submitting.  If they needed more than that, their form should say so.  He accepted the form with my attachments without another word.  If you have to deal with a public hospital, bring two copies of everything, including all the papers they didn't say you'd need.

Did I say Ate Malou was still in the corridor, her leg on a pillow?  We brought her an electric fan and an 8-meter extension cord, diaper rash cream and cornstarch-and-baking-powder mixture.  She was developing sores on her back because it was so hot in the corridor and she kept sweating, and the diaper irritates her skin.

On that note, my children are still in the neighbor's house.  We went back to Cavite, bought some groceries (the little kid has run out of milk), paid one overdue bill at SM, and came home.  I swear I can feel myself getting thinner from all the running around, but that is the least of my worries.