Recently, I was told I need a pacemaker due to stage 2/type 2 heart block, which will almost certainly progress to stage 3 without intervention. I lost insurance recently, which proved impossible to rectify... I was making all kinds of calls, getting price quotes, and considering asking for donations to help pay for medical costs (this procedure can cost $20-$50K).
I got a call from my cardiologist’s office; apparently, after making some calls and sharing my history and condition with his colleagues, it turns out the company providing the pacemaker is doing so at zero cost!
The doctor has also offered to waive his fees, making the total cost of a new lease on life much more manageable. I’ll still be on the hook for hospital bills, medications, and so forth, but likely a majority of the burden has been lifted.
I’m not quite out of the woods. I’ll still need some help making payments, and I’ll still have the underlying condition; the aortic heart valve I received in 2014 will still need to be replaced eventually, but likely not for a couple of years (2-5, depending on how it progresses). However, the tachycardia and bradycardia (180bpm and 40bpm respectively) will be under control. This hopefully will also take care of many other symptoms I’ve had, like constant fatigue, dizziness, fainting, and chest pain.
The operation is scheduled for July 11th.