MHMR Center Heart Of Texas

Let’s start with Social Security– if you’re eligible & able to get it, great– but there’s still two years you’re requires to wait before being eligible for Medicare, especially if you are a disability qualified recipient who isn’t of retirement age yet. But I’ll say this about them, which still isn’t much, which is that… for a government-​run program, it’s a typical slow-​paced, but very necessary, albeit difficult to manage at times, program, which *may* actually be more efficient than other government-​run programs. In my community, the local office recently moved to a new location from a much smaller one where it was at for decades…
I’d like to have the local phone number, but around the time they moved to the new building, the local number quit working. I’d also like for the annual renewal process to be a smooth one.
It’s extremely difficult to remember which programs I need to renew each year, & when, as well as knowing which agency I need to go through to continue receiving the benefits to which I’m legally entitled; also, since I’m disabled it isn’t always easy to be sure that I’m able to answer the phone for my annual, scheduled phone interview for the renewal of my benefits for S.N.A.P., «Extra Help» (Which offers assistance in paying Medicare & Medicare Part D (Rx) premiums & Rx costs), as well as being qualified to receive Medicaid QMB (Qualified Medicaid Benefits), which serves as a supplemental insurance policy for the part (s) of the billing which Medicare doesn’t cover, typically 20% for hospital stays & Doctor’s office visits, but sadly, no dental coverage, which I’m in desperate need of… So, it’s certainly better than nothing but one has to literally be poverty-​stricken in order to qualify for these things, which is sad, because if you aren’t in a poverty situation, the lack of good coverage can easily bankrupt someone who is disabled such as myself and requires 4 – 8 Doctor’s office visits per year and have had an average of almost one week of hospital stays each time I was admitted, which were four or five over the last 7 or 8 years on top of countless Emergency Room visits/​scares, many, many, many psychiatrist visits until they closed my psychiatrist’s office recently, as his was the only one that was part of the Family Health Center/​Community Clinic that would accept payments of whatever the patients could pay or just the 80% coverage that Medicare provided if you didn’t have Medicaid or their version of what they called the «Good Health Card» AKA the «Green» card because it was green. People/​families could apply & be placed into categories based on their perceived ability to pay per their income & expenses. No legal status is considered, they’d just place you in groups A, B, etc. based on your income, expenses & dependents, etc. but you did have to be in poverty. The best group to be in for the most coverage, was group A, equivalent to Medicare’s 80% coverage, therefore free at that clinic. They turned away no one, even if they were behind on payments.
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I feel it’s extremely unfortunate that they recently closed the Psychiatry & Psychology departments. They’re GREATLY NEEDED, & the only other option is mismanaged. It’s called:
«Heart of Texas Mental Health & Mental Retardation” – & yes, that is the organization’s real name. However they try to serve those with schizophrenia only, even though aren’t supposed to. There’s a list of diagnoses (Dx’s) that’re meant to qualify people for their services, one of which was Major Depressive Disorder-​& I was told that if I could get a written dx of this or any of the other qualifying diagnoses that it would be no problem to place me in the program where I would have my healthcare provided for by this organization 100% free of charge-​including any medications, but after a suicide attempt, I had no medical insurance, I asked my Dr at the inpatient 24-​hr mandatory observation hospital if he would write me a dx for Major Depressive Disorder, as this wasn’t the first or second time I was there. He agreed, although he seemed like he thought they wouldn’t help me nonetheless. But I told him what I was told: that it’d be a qualifier to let me into the program. He knew something I didn’t! They rejected me. I could’ve appealed, but the same person makes those decisions, too. It was humiliating. I couldn’t find the person who told me that.
I mentioned this experience to my Primary Care Physician (PCP) & he said that they were well known for the corruption and being picky & choosy even though they SAY you’re qualified for a number of reasons. I just want to say that now that the Family Health Center/​Community Clinic no longer has Psychiatrists, I TRULY hope they’ve either cleaned house, or have started playing fair so that all people in need can have access to the help they deserve. I finally waited two years for my insurance through Medicare to begin. Lucky for me NOW.