I am beyond stressed... I have my appointment on Monday 9/10 for my scans after Chemo. I received a call yesterday from the Financial Aide Department at the Hospital saying I need to reapply. I have no Insurance so this has all been such a headache. I have over $200,000 in hospital/Dr bills and they just keep coming, I had to stop opening my bills due to the anxiety it causes. I am so tapped out right now and can hardly keep my head above water. I went and filled out my financial aide today and was told that I needed to come up with $756 before I can have my testing done. I guess I'm going to have to cancel my test and I'm not sure when I'll be able to reschedule This makes me sick!
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Sunshine0921
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HI, I'm sorry I can't give you any advice but do understand how stressful it must be, here in Australia we have free medical care, I would not have been able to have all the treatments I've had over the last 4 years if we did not.
It's hard enough having OC but to have the added worry how to pay for it ..all i hope is you can continue with treatment ..Best wishes Lorraine xx 💙💙
It is 4:00 am here in England, but I am an American, who moved here with my daughter and husband over 20 years ago.
We automatically get National Health coverage and as we are self employed, when I fell ill, we could have never paid our medical bills without it.
In fact, 5 years ago, we tried to move back to the USA, but my daughter has Lyme Disease, and her prescriptions alone cost over $600 a week , which cost £20 per month here. Obviously, the cost for cancer care would have been catastrophic.
Even so, with the excellent care I receive here, having to have to drop half my business because of my illness has left us financially desperate, just to pay our household bills.
My extended family has pulled together to help me. Perhaps yours could help you? It is devastating to have to ask for help, but perhaps you could? Family can surprise you. Is there a charity you could turn to for advice or some other benefit?
Being stressed about bills, while being stressed about cancer is a terrible thing.
I wish you better luck and the willl to fight and find a solution,
Thanks Linda, it is unreal the cost of Medical Care ~ I think Health Care should be free to everyone. My family and friends have already helped out so much I hate to ask them again. Thanks for listening to my vent.
Hey, this is unbelievable! I live in Oz and we automatically receive free health care! Surely you wouldn't be left to deal with a serious illness just because you can't afford treatment! Can you not approach your local MP, Church and/or, or family members? Wishing you all the best!xxxDawn!🌻🌻
Dawn, Free Health Care would be great, I wish that was offered here. I have so many bills its ridiculous. Thanks for listening.
Hello Sunshine0921 so sorry to hear you are having to cope with the stresses of finances, the following website has this information. Hope it helps. Lyn x
They gave me a 50% discount but that really don't help. The bills I have are with the discount applied. I will never be able to pay these bills. So much for buying a house my credit will never be good.
Really sorry to hear this.
Your experience, shared with millions of other US citizens, just underlines how hard it is to understand how many Americans can vilify those wanting to improve access to health care for them and vote for people happy to make it worse.
However often I can find things to criticise in the UK, especially at the moment when we too are in the grip of collective madness, this is one worry we don’t have, at least for the time being.
My girls did set up a go fund me page what was raised has already been spent for previous medical testing and prescriptions. The hospital did give me a 50% discount. After the discount my cost is $6900 and I have to pay $756 upfront before I can have the test done. I wish the scans were free!
Hi Sunshine. That's shocking. Will the aide help to relieve some of that financial pressure?
I hear you about not opening letters/bills by the way.. done that at times myself. While not a long term solution, it helps to keep the immediate pressure somewhat contained.
If you can, please try to think of something beautiful and soothing rather than the bills, and maybe let a debt consolidation service (what are those called again?) provide some assistance with managing the bills, at least until you've got enough funding to cover the exam. Surely a bit of delay won't have any drastic impact on the result so you should be fine. xx. Maus
The Financial aide department at the hospital did approve me for 50% discount but the $200,000 + in bills is with the discount already applied. I'm living pay check to pay check now. I couldn't afford the monthly payment if I consolidated my bills. So, they can just pile up. I'm not worried about the bills I have, I will never be able to pay them. I'm just worried about the upfront fees that are needed for my testing...I wish this was not a stress I have to deal with.
Doubt the gofundme campaign will stretch that far. Could consider raising media attention but should feel reasonably well and have some strength to spare for that. I'm completely sympathetic to the ostrich approach, at least until after the scan... dunno what else you could do right now. In the worst case, there's always chapter 7...
Good luck & Many hugs. Health trumps everything else. Xx. Maus
Can you start a go fund me page. They are very popular world wide. I started one earlier this year to fund Avastin as I was only eligible privately. It paid for three sessions and I was overwhelmed by the generosity of so many people. I do believe that funding has bought me this extra time. I may have to do the same again if my oncologist thinks that was my best option. Asking for help is so very difficult but sometimes you just have to try even if nobody responds.
My girls did start me a Go Fund Me page, It raised $1650 but after the fees that they take and previous medical test and prescriptions its gone. It has came to a halt
My girls share it daily but there hasn't been a donation in months. Praying for a miracle...
Sunshine, I too live in the US. No private insurance, but I have Medicare, which does a very good job at paying the medical bills. You look too young for that, however. Have you applied for Medicaid? Also, contact any local Cancer organizations. They can point you to possible help with medical bills. Wishing you the best! Jill
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