John, are you on long-term disability from work? Have you applied for SS Disability? If not, perhaps you should. If accepted, you will have to wait 2 years for Medicare. However, in my case, they took 2 years to finally approve my claim, so I got Medicare immediately, as well as a lump sum back payment that was in the thousands. I also have limited Medicaid coverage. It pays for my Medicare Part B premium (which is now around $90 or so) and the premium for my Part D Prescription Drug Coverage. Everyone usually gets turned down for SSD the first time, after which you should retain a lawyer. The lawyer will get 25% of your lump sum payment when you are finally approved. By law, they cannot charge more than that, and should charge nothing if you do not win your case. Given that you are a computer engineer with brain fog, it seems to me that you should be able to get SSD. It counts from the time you apply...so do the paperwork and get that in the pipeline! Medicaid will pay for transplants, but Medicare will not. You have to practically be a pauper before you will qualify for Medicaid. I am considered low-income, have no property and few savings, but still only have limited Medicaid.
Good luck with the insurance problems! Keep us informed of your progress.
Connie