IBD is EXPENSIVE

[jacktin]

I know I am stating the obvious here, but as I continue to get medical bills for hundreds and thousands of dollars (with insurance) that I have to somehow figure out how to pay, pay for medication and figure out how to pay rent and eat food- I cannot help but get a bit frustrated.

I am not in remission yet and right now I find it impossible to work because of my debilitating symptoms. My husband thankfully works right now, but he doesn't make over$45k a year and he just got diagnosed with Diabetes II and his medical bills/medication/lab bills and testing supplies are adding up too. I pray I can get better soon so I can get a part time job or something to help pay these exorbitant bills.

How do you cope with the cost? How do you keep from being overwhelmed?

Thanks

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

I've been there done that myself and will probably continue to be in medical debt for the rest of my life! Here are a couple things I've done - first of all, if you haven't already, set up a payment plan for the medical bills. They may try to make you set it up so that you pay 10% each month, but if your bills are in the thousands then that's not always feasible, so tell them what you can pay per month. I think the laws might vary state by state so I'm not sure, but I believe they're not allowed to force you to pay more than what you say you can afford per month.

Another thing I did was, when I first got sick I racked up something like $6000 in medical debt in a year, and someone at the hospital contacted me about financial aid. I applied for the financial aid even though I shouldn't have qualified. Seriously, the criteria were ridiculous - something like, you have to be 400% below the poverty line, and your medical bills have to total half or more of your yearly income, etc - nope and nope, but I applied anyway. And I got accepted, so they wiped out $6000 in medical debt overnight and I suddenly had a zero balance! That was awesome. My medical debt has slowly been climbing back up so I may need to apply for financial aid again soon. But anyway, check with your hospital or clinic about financial aid, and apply even if it seems like there's no chance that you'd qualify.

Third, if you're on any name-brand prescriptions and have high co-pays for them, check with your pharmacist or the manufacturer to see if there are any patient assistance programs. I printed out a coupon online which saves me $50 per month on my Nexium. (My co-pay is supposed to be $75 but instead I pay $25.)

And one idea job-wise for you - I've talked to a few people on the forum who are too ill for a regular job, but they make art or do crafts, and they sell their goods online (etsy is a good site for that kind of thing). You probably won't become rich by selling stuff on etsy, but you can certainly make a few bucks here and there by doing it. The only downside is that you have to go to the post office regularly to send stuff out, but other than that, you wouldn't really need to leave your house (except to buy more art supplies maybe). Specifically, I know that one girl from the forum crochets blankets, scarves, etc and sells those on etsy, and she seems to do okay with that. She can stay at home and lie down and rest while still making something that's sell-able. So that's another thought for you. I hope that helps!

 

[jacktin]

Thank you for all of your very helpful thoughts and ideas!

After your post, I started calling and making payment arrangements and was successful at getting down payments reasonably with most of them. 2 of the places I owe money to are sending me forms of financial aid to either cut down or eliminate my bill completely (like they did for you!). I did not know they could even do that!! What a blessing that would be! The hospital I owe money to also referred me to a site online to apply to help with copays for people WITH insurance! I did not know that either

Medicine-wise, I am going to have to talk to doctors/pharmacists and look into those online coupons you are saying.

As for crafts, I have been racking my brain what to make. My joints hurt a bit in my hands and arms to do a lot of needle work/knitting/crochet but I DO own a sewing machine, so maybe I can figure something small and cheap to make that way. I will start looking online and see what little sewing machine crafts there are a demand for I can do baby blankets but they can be time consuming. Hmmmm

Again thank you

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

No problem! Yes, I should have specified in my earlier post that I have insurance as well and those were all things I did to bring down copays and medical bills that I had in spite of having insurance too. I'm glad it was helpful!

As for sewing, my first thought is that you could perhaps sew some microwaveable heating pads. There are plenty of "how to" guides on the internet, but basically you sew a little fabric pillow and put dry rice in it (the rice retains heat but won't actually cook without liquid). Here's one of the "how to" things that I found by googling:
http://www.sew4home.com/projects/pillows-cushions/microwavable-rice-heating-pads
You could make them fancy, use interesting fabric, etc. If you can't sell them, you could always use them for yourself! I have a few microwaveable heating pads myself (they're great for car trips when you can't plug in a regular heating pad).

 

[alex_chris]

Not from the US, so here in Europe all costs are paid by health insurance.

But I just wanted to point one thing out, if biologics are not indicated (not severe Crohn's), you can ask your doctor to just keep you on azathioprine. Combined with sport, a strict diet and stress relieve, this will end up costing you not much (basically just the regular blood testing, as aza itself costs next to nothing these days).

In any event, it is probably hard to make a medical decision based on costs, but sometimes it makes sense and can even help one's health.

 

[susieb755]

I thank God daily for the fact we have the NHS in the UK - having read the posts about the bills in the USA, I shall stop moaning that I am having to wait until September for my appointment with the Gastroenterologist, we are very lucky to have our free universal healthcare.

 

[jacktin]

Hi Cat,
Sorry for the late response. I have been under the weather with sinus infection and a cold.
Thank you for the project idea – once I'm feeling a lot better I will be seeing if I can do it
Thanks again!

 

[jacktin]

Not from the US, so here in Europe all costs are paid by health insurance.

But I just wanted to point one thing out, if biologics are not indicated (not severe Crohn's), you can ask your doctor to just keep you on azathioprine. Combined with sport, a strict diet and stress relieve, this will end up costing you not much (basically just the regular blood testing, as aza itself costs next to nothing these days).

In any event, it is probably hard to make a medical decision based on costs, but sometimes it makes sense and can even help one's health.

Hi Alex,

Thank you for your reply. However, according to my blood work the last few months, Aza ( also known as Imuran), does not seem to be working for me at all at this point. I am in 150mg with no changes in symptoms or bloodwork. My doctor says that my Crohn's disease is severe and aggressive and we have no choice but to throw TNF drugs at it at this point. I pray they work.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Jacktin, sorry to hear about your cold & sinus infection, and also sorry to hear that it sounds like you'll be going on biologics. But about what I said earlier about savings programs through the drug manufacturer - I know that Humira has a program through the manufacturer that you can get Humira for $5 per injection (I'm not sure how much it costs normally but I'm sure it's a lot more than $5). Here's that link for you:
https://www.humira.com/global/savings-and-co-pay

I'm not sure if there are programs like that for the other biologics, but it's worth looking into. Good luck with whatever biologic you end up trying! I hope it helps you feel a lot better without breaking the bank.

 

[jacktin]

Thanks, Cat. Yes, my doctor says it is time for Remicade IV infusions. She says there is more research and more data that shows more positive remission levels for severe Crohn's disease like mine – Crohn's granulomatous colitis. If this does not work, Humira will be my next option in combonation with Remicade. I am applying for remifast to lower cost for Remicade and if I go on Humira, I will apply for the program you mentioned thanks again!