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It is still a lot of trouble with my current health insurance.
I got a letter from them with a proposal for a hearing by telephone about my request for a daisy-player. In this letter they also say they will inquire information at the College of health insurances, but that due to this their decision can take up to 21 weeks! Well then it is pass January 1. Of course I will agree on the proposal of a hearing by phone, although they already told me by phone that they stay at their decision if no medical reason will come forward for the daisy-player during that conversation. So in my eyes I don't think this hearing will be of much use as I have already mentioned all medical reasons in my appeal, but hey I will try anyway... you never know. I have also contacted my spd-consultant and he will assist me during that hearing. For the rest he thinks it is really scandalous from my health insurance to not approve a daisy-player to me.

We also had contact with the health insurance for my notebook, hospital bed etc and so we heard that they stay at their decision and that even officially they can pick up everything immediately. They however told us that they wouldn't do this, but if something becomes defective (like my hospital bed for example) they will come and get it but it will not be fixed so I will then be without my bed.

All this because the new medical counselor doesn't see ME, FM and MCS as a medical indication for useful-practical things like a hospital bed, special mattress, notebook, daisy-player etc. It even is that if he had already worked at our health insurance as we came to them, he wouldn't had approved the take-over of these things.
Who he is or what his name is we don't know and they don't tell us and we also don't get him on the phone. The one who we talk to by phone is really nice and thinks we are right, but unfortunately she can't do anything except give us the advice to appeal and keep going.

Tomorrow afternoon (26 November) my spd-consultant comes over to talk everything through what we are going to do and what will be put in the appeal etc. We also have the possibility to get Legal Aid. The health insurance or better said that medical counselor will hear more from us!!

Yesterday I got a phone-call from my library if I already have the daisy-player. I explained them my situation and they advised me to tell all this to Stivor. They are the ones who arranged all this with the government, the insurances etc. so maybe they can do something for me. She also gave me the advice to ask for a lot of spoken books, because there will be no more audio tapes available since January 1th 2004. There was no limit anymore and so I asked for 20 spoken books. It seemed there were more members with problems with their health insurance and for these member they made the possibility to ask for a lot of spoken books before January 1. This way these members have something to 'read' till they get the final decision from their health insurance. I asked if this new system can also be played on a MP3-player. Basically it is possible, but if you stop reading and you want to go on the next time/day the CD/DVD starts automatically again at the beginning and so you have to search for the part where you were. Well with my ME-memory that is not very easy. The daisy-player however remembers where you were and so it automatically starts there. You can also go to a wanted chapter or even page.
My favorite writers are William Sarabande, Dean R. Koontz and Stephen King. I especially recommend the books of William Sarabande; you want to finish it as quickly as possible and when you have finished it you wish you hadn't.

November 2003 part 1

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