Worry, worry, worry

I'm switching over to an insulin pump. Trying to wrap my mind around the new set of numbers and who pays for what is mind numbing. As near as I can tell:

• diabetes is a treatable condition, and treating it buys time until there is a cure
• time (to live, to love, to learn, to laugh) is an especially nice thing to have
• the approximately $7000 bill for the pump goes directly to the government. Less than a year after I was diagnosed, the Ontario government started to fund them.
• I pay the pump company directly for pump supplies ($260 per month)
• the government reimburses me for pump supplies with a $600 cheque every 3 months, and while I do not need to send them receipts, I should save them as I can be audited for proof of purchase later.
• private insurance requires a copy of the invoice from the pump supplies to help with the difference
• there is a 6 to 12 week wait between the need for the pump supplies and the arrival of the first government cheque
• according to the pump company, private insurance may be able to help with the costs before the subsidy starts, and to trigger this help, I need a letter from the pump company which goes to the government to trigger a letter which I can send to the insurance company.
• when I spoke with the insurance company on Friday, I learned they don't get involved before the subsidy starts. I will be calling them back.
• none of this factors in the cost of the insulin or supplies for the glucometer, which presumably are still covered at 80% by my private insurance plan
• the pump itself will be attached and start infusing on March 21
• I made my first pump supply purchase on Friday

I've yet to file my personal income tax return for 2010. Fingers crossed that the correct amount of tax deductions have been taken from my source pay. I worry about it because the year that I joined the company, it was late in the year, and I had no taxable income.

2009 was a big year for personal tax credits, plus I was taking a dividend from my self-incorporated company rather than a salary. When I started the salaried position in October, I'm sure there was a new hire payroll form I filled out to indicate personal tax credits.