Angry Days

I am angry. Very irritable and angry. Because?
Actually, I have no reason to be angry, I just am.  I can only attribute it to fucking up my meds this week (didn't get myself organised to get to the Chemist for a repeat prescription) and as a result have had several sleepless nights (Does anyone else find Zolpidem sends you hyper, or is it just me?) and have been reading into situations which simply don't exist culminating in a tirade of rage on FB - thank's to the lovely M who phoned me today and suggested I deleted those posts - love a gal who tells me how it is.
I hate it when I am like this.  I feel so detached from everything and every one around me.  I try to occupy myself so that I am distracted, but when I am on my own at home, surfing the net, these thoughts are hanging in the background making me worse and worse.  I am aware that is happening but I don't seem able to stop it and then I wind myself into a frenzy. Meh. I think it's time for a new Crisis Plan.
I tried to make an appointment to register at a surgery for when I return to the UK (5th May!!!).  I decided to go back to my old surgery from many years ago and thought that if I pre-booked an appointment for my return then I wouldn't need to panic about my meds running out (I have enough left for this month), plus can get back into the system asap.  So the conversation went something like this (I had to telephone as their email address does not work):

Me: "Yes Hello I am just phoning from Switzerland to..." 

Doctors receptionist "Can I put you on hold sorry".....wait......"Yes hello" 

Me: I wondered if I could arrange an appointment to register as.... 

"Yes, we are taking on new patients, just come into the surgery with the relevant paperwork, goodbye". 

I had spent 20 minutes practising what to say and then another 5 building up the courage to phone and explain my situation.  so of course, being the pathetic wimp who is currently totally overwhelmed by everything involved in moving back to the UK, I spent the rest of the afternoon curled up in bed sobbing my heart out with anxiety.  Thank god for Seroquel and my cat. Plus my friend who works for the NHS and will certainly be in touch with said surgery (she used to work for the PCT making checks on doctor's surgeries so I wouldn't want to be said Doctor's receptionist when she calls.

It's not so much making the appointment, it's the timescale.  I return to the UK 5th May.  It's Bank Holiday weekend apparently so there is no chance I will get an appointment for that week if I don't pre book.  First, I have to have an appointment with the Practice Nurse to register me.  Then they need to process me.  Then I need to know which doctor I am with so that I can get my Swiss Psychiatrist to send a report, plus get a repeat prescription because I will need meds asap. And I will need at least half an hour with new GP. This could take weeks. (Months?). I can't afford to be without mental health support for this length of time, particularly after making yet another life changing choice - these tend to be trigger points for me.  Of course, I know if I am a danger to myself then I can get my friend to take me to A&E but I do tend to rather think of myself (when I am in crisis) that I am a waste of space, taking up resources needed for sicker people, don't want to be a burden etc. etc. (The usual crap we mentalists tell ourselves).

Anyhoo, I have been in hiding most of the day after my FB comments which basically had told people living here to "Fuck Off" and have just enjoyed a night in of NCIS and CSI repeats.  Lovely. 

Why Swiss Health Insurance Doesn't always work (and why I now Love the NHS)

WARNING: If you get bored easily, you probably won't want to read this! Contains detailed workings of Swiss Health Insurance (yawn)

I had a fairly successful appointment with my Psychiatrist yesterday and one of the things we discussed was my health insurance.

I may have explained it before (and can't remember which blog post it was in) but it's like paying car insurance - you pay a premium and have an excess.  The smaller the excess, the higher the premium. When you have resided in Switzerland for more than three months you are obliged to have health insurance.

This is all well and good, when you pay your premiums.  When you see a doctor or other specialist or have a blood test, anything, the bill is sent to you and you then send a copy to the insurer who then refund you the amount of the bill less 10%.  You then pay the bill.  Sounds simple huh?

My problem was about two years ago I got into arrears with my premiums.  I tried making a payment plan with my health insurer, A. They refused and kept demanding the amount I owed which was 3 months worth of premiums for myself and my boyfriend at the time (he paid the rent).

As a result of the arrears, they then stopped paying my medical bills.  So as a result, any money I had had to pay the medical bills and not against the arrears.  I asked for a payment plan again.  They refused.

Well, I thought, I will change insurers so that the new insurer will pay my medical bills, close off my old insurance and make part payments until the arrears are paid off.

You can only "leave" an insurer twice a year, by the end of June or by the end of December.  To cancel the contract, the insurer has to receive your cancellation a month before the end of June/December and this has to be sent recorded delivery.  They are Swiss - don't follow thse rules and your request is ignored.

I duly sent the letter, correctly and within the timescale.  Insurer A replied with a letter confirming the cancellation.  I then signed up with a new insurer, O,  who sent me the contract which I signed and returned. I started paying the new insurer from the January.

Insurer A kept sending me bills.  I telephoned them and said they had accepted my "resignation" and I was no longer insured with them.  They said it was not possible to change insurer because I had arrears on my account.  I asked for a copyof the letter and they sent me the original "acceptance of resignation" PLUS another piece of paper attached (which they had not attached before) which stated that you cannot change insurance when you have arrears on your account.  News to me. I wrote to them explaining their mistake and they didn't accept it.  Meanwhile, the debt kept mounting up, but at least the new insurer was paying my medical bills.

So, to insurer 2, O. I explained to them that I was not allowed to change insurers because of the arrears and the new insurer said because I had now signed a contract with them, I had to continue to pay them insurance premiums. Problem: I was now expected to pay 2 insurance companies.

Of course, this put me in complete panic and being in a pretty poor mental state these days with coping with stuff like this I decided to refer to Social Services.  Initially I saw the SW as part of the Psychiatric service and she investigated, telephoned people, contacted Ombudsmen etc etc on my behalf and what she discoverd was interesting:

1. The Old insurer is meant to write to the proposed new insurer to "allow" me to leave them.  Insurer A DID NOT DO THIS.

2. You are not allowed to be insured by 2 companies.  Both insisted that I pay them premiums.

3. Basically, what these insurers were doing is illegal.

Anyway, to cut a long  and boring story short (thankfully, you say!), My medical bills and health insurance are now paid for by the state, the debt has mounted up and I have been placed on an official Swiss debt register.

I was discussing this with my Psychiatrist yesterday as he has been trying to get hold of my SW with no luck, so he is going to talk to the Psychiatric service SW to review this whole situation again.  If I have to have any seriously expesive treatment then there is some State "governer" type for health insurance who will approve the treatment.

This has been going on for 2 years now and neither insurer will accept any responsibility and I feel the pressure of it all.  Luckily my doctor will keep treating me, I can still see my Psych (although I have reduced the number of appointments) and my pharmacist will keep supplying me with medication as they all agree I need continued support and treatment.  This is where it is handy to have a more personal relationship with professionals (which somes with living in a small village) and they have been great.

But I don't half miss the NHS.  I will never complain about them again.  Well, until I am back into the system when I return to the UK.