That is one of the reasons that I will never encourage anyone to stop their insurance coverage no matter how bad their financial situation may be at the moment, because you never know when a crisis is going to hit. Hope you managed to resolve your problems!

Chris - http://americanvisitorinsurance.com

Certainly the best information is to query the insurance provider of your prospective new employer. I don't think you really tip you hand by doing this because the issues will come clear if you take employment there anyway. I would urge you to get their responses in writing so you have something to use for evidence of this stance if they change their story later.

The best resource for general information is to contact the Office of the Insurance Commissioner of the State of Washington, your consumer protection agency for insurance matters here.

You can peruse some general posted information that exists on the site here for health insurance FAQs, and here for the 2011 open-enrollment periods for children (for public plans). No, this does not directly apply to your full situation but is the best info I found on the subject on the public website. Really the best thing is to contact the Insurance Commissioner's Office and get a specialist on the phone to answer your questions.

Many things will change (for the better) on this front as the full implementation of the new health care law comes into effect in 2014.

Also remember that many services are available to you through your school district. I speak from the experience of being an occupational therapist who has primarily worked in the public school setting. Your public school district is responsible for provision of educational services from age Zero through the age of 21 for children with special needs and that includes many of the services to address the developmental delays you mention in your description.

I hope neither one of my parents ever has to live in a nursing home, and I'll do what I'm able to prevent it- that's just the way my family works...we take care of our elderly members ourselves.

I'm assuming, though, that what you're really asking is how you can persuade your mom to live in a nursing home. It might help if she has a couple of choices about which one she lives in- I know this may not be possible, but if there's a way to give her options, that might make it easier. Is she mentally sound (not suffering from dementia, alzheimer's, stroke symptoms, etc.)? If not, I know it will probably be harder for her to understand. Is there a way to bring along some of her personal furniture and familiar objects so that she feels more at home? Also, from what I've seen with occasional respite care for people in my own family, your mom will be treated better if you get to know the nursing staff at her residence. The more involved you are, the more they will think about and remember the specific needs of your mom. (I'm not saying they'll ignore her if you're not around, just that you're probably better able to articulate details than your mom if she's failing enough to be in a home). One other thing to remember is that your mom is an adult- she's been making her own choices and doing things her own way for many, many years. Suddenly being told that she can't take care of herself anymore has some pretty big psychological consequences- and it's important that you be as respectful of her independence and agency as possible, even if she is having cognitive problems associated with age.

Suze Orman talks about this often, and I'm sure you can find more info on her website and/or in her books. I remember last year she said that many of the really good policies are no longer being offered, but that there are still a few good options. A brief google search finds this helpful (but short) article she did for Oprah's website. There are also lots of longterm care insurance websites quoting her, but I think it'd make more sense to "go to the source" than someone using her name/words to sell their product.

It does seem that she encourages you considering it in your 40's and definitely by your 50's, and this article for Oprah lists some good things to consider. Good luck! http://www.oprah.com/money/Long-Term-Care-Insurance-Suze-Orman-Financial-Advice

And Suze Orman points to this informational government page about it, that should be pretty helpful, too. http://www.longtermcare.gov/LTC/Main_Site/index.aspx

Probably, as they are a subsidiary of premera, but it depends on your particular plan within lifewise. What does your contract say about out of network counseling coverage?

Bastyr has a clinic which is also sliding scale I believe. Acupuncture might be of some help to you.

We're really lucky in Seattle to have sliding-scale clinics, and they are really affordable. Find one at Neighborcare or Country Doctor or Sea Mar and go. Find out what financial documents are required for financial aid and bring them with you - there will probably be some minimum payment at the time of your appointment, but you could put it on a credit card if you don't have the cash. They also have subsidized prescriptions and can give you referrals that will help you get subsidized specialist care (if it's available).

Another option is to just go to the UW or Harborview hospital and go through urgent care - you can apply for charity care to get all or most of your cost waived.

Sometimes you just have to go, and pay what you can or let the bills go to collections. I did that several years ago for a Harborview urgent care visit when I didn't have insurance; I didn't understand about the charity care application and f-d it up. So my credit record was screwed up for years but eventually it fell off, and when I went to UW for other things they didn't ask about it. My family history is full of examples of paying bills late so you can cover something else before it gets cut off, or selling whatever you can to pay bills, or if that fails letting the bills go to collections and try to pay it back later.

Man, I feel for you! We were in the same boat for the past four years (so long!) and it is really scary when something goes wrong. When I got a really bad urinary tract infection I did the totally stereotypical thing and went to the emergency room (of the hospital that I used to go to before I lost my insurance). Where they have to, by law, treat you. I was totally prepared to say "bill me, since I have no money," but they treated me as an indigent patient for free. It was at Group Health, but a lot of places do this apparently. Yes, it made me feel guilty, since it makes other people's insurance more expensive, but that is the system that we have. And you're hurt and scared; so guilt be damned. Just go and take care of yourself.

Good luck! I hope things turn around for you soon. We just got health insurance again, and I will never take it for granted again.