Hi everyone, I was just wondering... for those of you who don't have money for treatment, what do you guys do? My insurance doesn't cover this, and now I can't get another insurance because this is a pre-existing condition. I live in the US. I am now thinking maybe i should move to canada or UK, France, where they have universal health care... i don't make a lot of money... and i'm always sick but i dont have the money, so i just stay home even when i'm throwing up non stop and in constant pain. What should i do?
What happens when you have no money for treatment? anyone in this situation?
- Thread starter SLee05
- Start date
Help Support Crohn's Disease Forum:
- Joined
- Nov 15, 2007
- Messages
- 1,806
Hi SLee. First welcome. Second, sorry to hear about the situation you're in. Have you applied for anything like Medical or Medicaid? If you're super sick just go to the ER, they're obligated to treat you and get you stabilized, granted the bills suck but you do what you can with them. I know some of the Jesuit hospitals around here will cover the costs of your treatment if you are unable to pay so that might be another option.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Good luck and keep us posted.
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2009
- Messages
- 35
Hi slee,
i dont really have any advice on healthcare in america, as im not american, but i cant believe how awful the system is if your ill.
it sounds drastic though to move country, but this condition is life long, so it may need to be a consideration.
thought i would give you a heads up on the british NHS though. i think in the past few days, it has been totoally slated in the US, as its being debated around congress at the moment?
im a true believer in the NHS. Maybe its due to me having to use it frequently but thats by the by.
in regards to crohns, most immunosuppresents are available. but the only BIOLOGIC therapy available on the NHS is REMICADE(infliximab). This is the only one to have been sanctioned for use by NICE( the british nhs drug licensing authority). to get it there are pretty strict guidelines. it is to be used on only severe crohns sufferers or people who are steroid resistant etc.
HTH
i dont really have any advice on healthcare in america, as im not american, but i cant believe how awful the system is if your ill.
it sounds drastic though to move country, but this condition is life long, so it may need to be a consideration.
thought i would give you a heads up on the british NHS though. i think in the past few days, it has been totoally slated in the US, as its being debated around congress at the moment?
im a true believer in the NHS. Maybe its due to me having to use it frequently but thats by the by.
in regards to crohns, most immunosuppresents are available. but the only BIOLOGIC therapy available on the NHS is REMICADE(infliximab). This is the only one to have been sanctioned for use by NICE( the british nhs drug licensing authority). to get it there are pretty strict guidelines. it is to be used on only severe crohns sufferers or people who are steroid resistant etc.
HTH
drew_wymore said:
i'm too scared to go to the ER... I still owe them money from the last time i went... i don't like to be in so much debt cause of this. When I go to my specialist, I just come in to him and he just tells me the same thing and talks to me for 10 mins... and then gives me a sample medication and then asks me to come back if i dont feel better from it... and then i never really go back cause everytime i go see him its like $80 and he tells me the same thing that oh i have inflammation in my bowel and its probably flaring up here take some of this sample meds and if you dont feel good come back... and i pay 80 bucks... and then i miss that days work so i dont get paid... and i only get paid $75 a day... so i can't really keep going to the docs... man this is so stressful... i currently have anthem blue cross and they don't cover anything for me... i'll look into the medical and medicaid thanks
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2009
- Messages
- 803
You may already be hard at work on keeping the flairs down but what kind of diet are you on? How much have you changed your eating habits. I think, next to life saving surgeries, diet control is the most important issue. It is all I can do to help myself and that might be the case for a lot of us with this disease.
If I can keep away from foods that aggravate the swelling and not eat things that have insoluble fiber it will help to keep me out of the hospital. And that is basically free treatment. My hospital sent the Nutritionist to see me three times during my 2 ten day hospital stays while they stabilized my vitals, re hydrated me and did some work to a 7 cm abscess. She explained to me about what I need to eat and why. What she did for me is a more long term treatment than any medication from a doctor.
If I can keep away from foods that aggravate the swelling and not eat things that have insoluble fiber it will help to keep me out of the hospital. And that is basically free treatment. My hospital sent the Nutritionist to see me three times during my 2 ten day hospital stays while they stabilized my vitals, re hydrated me and did some work to a 7 cm abscess. She explained to me about what I need to eat and why. What she did for me is a more long term treatment than any medication from a doctor.
- Joined
- May 27, 2009
- Messages
- 1,035
Hi SLee,
Welcome to the forum! I hope that you are feeling better real soon. This is a wonderful place to come for advice, venting, and to talk to people in the same boat as you.
In terms of needing treatment and not having money, I would advise that you go to the ER for treatment. I know that the bills are a huge burden on both the wallet and the psyche but you need to get medical help. Please remember the way the stressing and internalizing can quickly add to your level of discomfort and make you feel worse.
I have accumulated my share of bills as well. My ride on the chronies express has led to a LOT of unpaid medical bills. I have had five visits to the ER since March, one by ambulance. I know that if i don't get medical care- I will not get better- i will be no good for my family or employer and will likely end up in the hospital anyway possibly worse off for the wait.
Please take care of yourself. The bills are always going to be there for one thing or another. Yes it sucks to have to incur bills for medical issues and I bet you would rather have a speedboat or sportscar than this medical issue but you need your health to enjoy them.
Good luck and take good care.
Welcome to the forum! I hope that you are feeling better real soon. This is a wonderful place to come for advice, venting, and to talk to people in the same boat as you.
In terms of needing treatment and not having money, I would advise that you go to the ER for treatment. I know that the bills are a huge burden on both the wallet and the psyche but you need to get medical help. Please remember the way the stressing and internalizing can quickly add to your level of discomfort and make you feel worse.
I have accumulated my share of bills as well. My ride on the chronies express has led to a LOT of unpaid medical bills. I have had five visits to the ER since March, one by ambulance. I know that if i don't get medical care- I will not get better- i will be no good for my family or employer and will likely end up in the hospital anyway possibly worse off for the wait.
Please take care of yourself. The bills are always going to be there for one thing or another. Yes it sucks to have to incur bills for medical issues and I bet you would rather have a speedboat or sportscar than this medical issue but you need your health to enjoy them.
Good luck and take good care.
SLee05 said:
hi slee, sorry you're having so much financial stress.
i think you should move to canada!
i've lived in canada all my life and i'm thankful that i don't have to stress about medical bills like i see many US citizens discussing... that's terrible. i don't know exactly how the US medical bills add up, but i can see that it is a horrible system.
good luck and i hope you feel better soon!
imisspopcorn
Punctuation Impaired
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2009
- Messages
- 5,723
That's such a hard place to be in. Next time you do go to the hospital ask to speak to someone in social services. They usually can refer you to sliding scale clinics etc...I know out here we have an insurance for people that don't qualify for for medicare. It's run by a private HMO. Your premium and co-pays are based on ability to pay. I think it was funded by the money the state got from the tobacco settlements. Anyway there might be something similar in California.
There are certain symptoms and conditions that you absolutely need the help of a doctor and a hospitol or clinic. There are other situations where you can treat yourself, depending on where you are at with a diagnosis and symptoms.
My second best treatment cost me $15.00 and I bought it myself. There are others here that have low cost self treatments. This is not always the way to go, but it may be better than doing nothing, depending on the situation.
Dan
My second best treatment cost me $15.00 and I bought it myself. There are others here that have low cost self treatments. This is not always the way to go, but it may be better than doing nothing, depending on the situation.
Dan
forum contributor
Captain Obvious
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2009
- Messages
- 4,463
I don't know if this will help at all, but I just found this article on MSNBC:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32420772/ns/us_news-the_elkhart_project
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32420772/ns/us_news-the_elkhart_project
thanks everyone for your responses. i know that if its real bad and i gotta go to the docs then i have to. i just hate owing money. But once again thanks everyone i will take your advices. best of luck to all you guys. always have hope and hopefully one day there will be a cure.
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2009
- Messages
- 200
I know exactly what you are going through! I got a really bad flare up in March and my doctor wanted me to start Remicade. I sat on the couch in agonizing pain for over 4 weeks waiting on an approval from my insurance company for Remicade. My doctor finally had to let the office just administer the Remicade to me before the approval- assuming that it would come eventually. And now that I have had 4 infusions, I am thousands of dollars in debt in bills because my insurance company is only covering 80% of the cost of an infusion. Remicade infusions are thousands of dollars each. Good luck! :/
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2009
- Messages
- 12
I know what you are going through. If you got to the ER again ask if they can give you a form for assistance. When I first got sick I did not have health care and worked part time making $8.00 an hour and was in the process of moving out of my parents home. Depending on how much you make you might qualify for some sort of assistance through the hospital. I got approved for my ER visits to be covered 100% along with follow ups at my GI doctor (who was affliated with the hospital) BUT it did not cover my medicine which was $400 a month. The only other thing you have to look out for with the assistance program is they "skimp" on the tests ect. I only got a "flexible scope" and never had a full Colonscopy until I got a job with health care. (5 years later and was correctly diagnosed)
Hope this helps
Hope this helps
- Joined
- Nov 15, 2007
- Messages
- 1,806
As has been mentioned, there are absolutely times when you must go to the ER/Doctor. None of us like owing money but few doctors are going to refuse treatment because you can't pay. Your Health > Money .. Thanks to my illness I've probably accumulated upwards of 20k in medical bills and that's with health insurance. I'm probably going to have to file bankruptcy when all is said and done but I'm ok with that because getting treatment has been much better than the alternative of being consistently so sick I can't get out of the house.
Chin up buddy we're all here for you.
Chin up buddy we're all here for you.
no real advice from me, SLee.
Just .. I feel for ya'.
(and you too drew, and mharvey90, and... wow, you're *so* not alone ).
It's a shame that there is such a financial cost to all this.
All I've got for you is moral support, but you've got that.
--kevin
Just .. I feel for ya'.
(and you too drew, and mharvey90, and... wow, you're *so* not alone
). It's a shame that there is such a financial cost to all this.
All I've got for you is moral support, but you've got that.
--kevin
Hey Slee,
Another thing is that if you are already in debt to the hospital many have payment plans. I am currently paying what I owe to the hospital $100 per month, interest free! (With no check on my ability to pay). Its like an interest free loan (they just want to make sure you pay).
In terms of medication, alot of the companies have at least some sort of free medication programs for people who can't afford to pay.
Finally, try to check out free-clinics in your area. Not only do they provide basic care, they may also have social workers who can help you get the right paper work and help you file it to get assistance.
Another thing is that if you are already in debt to the hospital many have payment plans. I am currently paying what I owe to the hospital $100 per month, interest free! (With no check on my ability to pay). Its like an interest free loan (they just want to make sure you pay).
In terms of medication, alot of the companies have at least some sort of free medication programs for people who can't afford to pay.
Finally, try to check out free-clinics in your area. Not only do they provide basic care, they may also have social workers who can help you get the right paper work and help you file it to get assistance.
imisspopcorn
Punctuation Impaired
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2009
- Messages
- 5,723
Hi, I just got my CCFA newsletter email and they have an article about medication assistance. If you go to [email protected] you should be able to find it. If you can't find it let me know and I will see if I can post the link.
imisspopcorn
Punctuation Impaired
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2009
- Messages
- 5,723
http://www.needymeds.org/resourcepages/crohns_colitis.shtml. Okay i think this is the link
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2009
- Messages
- 276
The er bills suck, but when you have to go it's really your only option.
I hate that I have medical debt but there is really nothing I can do at this point.
Does your state have state health insurance? I have state health insurance here in Arizona. I just had to prove that I don't have income because I am a full-time college student and they gave it to me.
I don't know if you've tried finding something like that.
I know how you feel.
I hate that I have medical debt but there is really nothing I can do at this point.
Does your state have state health insurance? I have state health insurance here in Arizona. I just had to prove that I don't have income because I am a full-time college student and they gave it to me.
I don't know if you've tried finding something like that.
I know how you feel.
