Towards the end of 2022, I moved back in with my mother in a rush, leaving what I felt was a dangerous living situation. I was on Michigan medicaid before I left, and when I got back to my hometown, I applied for New York medicaid.
For all of 2023 and 2024, I was on medicaid and saw many medical providers, including two therapists on a weekly basis. However, at the end of 2024, NY State of Health asked me to verify my address. The reason for this was that Michigan had automatically renewed my insurance for me.
Moving at the end of the year, I didn't think I'd needed to inform the state of my departure. I assumed not renewing it myself was all that was needed to cease having it. Even after providing my proof of address, I was told that having had other insurance at the time made me ineligible for health marketplace plans. So, while they reinstated my medicaid for those two years, I retroactively lost my Healthfirst insurance.
Many of my doctors, including my therapists, did not accept straight medicaid, so Healthfirst has been sending my doctors letters stating they overpaid and asking for refunds while I have been left with the bills.
To one therapist alone, I owe $11k. To my other therapist, I owe $1,100. I owe multiple other doctors a few hundred, but I am still receiving bills and have yet to be able to tally everything. So far, I owe at least $12,500.
I particularly would like to pay the bills to one of my therapists rather than letting it go to collections, as they are a group that works primarily with immigrants and LGBT individuals. Aside from wanting my debt paid, I want them to get the money they're owed.
Recently, to see my doctors, I have been charged between $50 and $150 at the visit to pay a big enough percentage of my debt off. I can't afford that big a copay for every appointment. I am a full-time sex worker and I usually make less than 2k a month.
I appreciate the time taken to read this and any help you may offer. Thank you.