As you may or may not know, my dear husband lost his job approximately two weeks ago. Luckily for us (or unluckily, depending on how you look at it), this was not the first time we have had to turn to unemployment benefits for help, so we knew what to do and who to call for the most part. About 3 years ago, the same thing had happened to us right after we found out I was pregnant with twins. I don't think we ever fully recovered from the financial hit.
In these past two weeks, we have come to realize that there are many more programs out there to help us than there were 3 years ago. This is our state's reaction to the high number of people losing their jobs daily in Massachusetts. It was sad to hear how backlogged the unemployment office is during these difficult times. They told us it could take 3 to 4 times as long as usual to process our paperwork because they are just buried.
If someone in your life has become unemployed, please encourage them to educate themselves about what types of programs are available in their state. For example, in Massachusetts, there is a program to be reimbursed for a percentage of your Cobra payments. Luckily, we had the $1000+ to send along to sign up for Cobra. What happens to the people who do not?
If you have recently become unemployed and are uninsured, The Take Care Recovery Plan, brought to you by Walgreens, is something you should look into. You and your family may qualify for free healthcare through the end of 2009. They see patients 18mos and up for everyday things, such as minor injuries, vaccinations, respiratory illnesses, and much more. As far as I know, they do not cover prescriptions.
Not every Walgreens location houses a clinic. To find a Take Care Clinic near you, visit TakeCareHealth.com and enter your zip code. You can also call 1-866-Take-Care (Option #3) to find out more information about this program.
