Medical Bills or Mortgage Payment | Something has to Give

I worked in the medical field (along side Social Workers) for about 6+ years.  I know from this experience and on a personal level how fees for hospital, doctor and associated tests can terrify someone into not seeking care when they need it, or if the bills have already piled up, how tempting it is to ignore them.  When you don't have the money and haven't been told about the various kinds of assistance that exist for help with these bills, what the hell are you going to do?

First thing is first, don't delay treatment of a medical condition if you don't have insurance or have shitty insurance.  It will only get worse, and I'm sure you know this.

Free Care
Contact the doctor's office or hospital of where you are seeking care and ask them if they have either a Free Care or Charity Care program.  Most public hospitals have this and many doctors offices do, too.  Some private doctors offices may not have this kind of assistance, but if you call an office and they tell you they don't offer this, ask them if they know of another office that does.

Search for free clinics in your area, as well.  These are great if you need to need medical care for more basic things like a cold or general check up.

Unfortunately, the very existence of this assistance is not made known to many patients.  It is only after someone has suffered a heart attack, diabetic ketoacidosis, or a mental breakdown that this information is disclosed.  Once you are in a hospital bed and the charges begin accumulating, then everyone takes notice.

YOU HAVE TO BE YOUR OWN ADVOCATE FOR YOUR HEALTH

I had surgery last March, and even though I had insurance, I racked up tons of bills.  There was a 20% co-insurance that I was responsible for paying, but I knew that I could get this written off by the patient billing office.  I applied for free care the percentage of the bill(s)that my insurance didn't pick up.

A few tips:

If you have just missed a lot of work, make sure to submit proof of income for this period.  You are making less because you have been ill, and this is what should be evaluated as your present income.

Don't ignore the bills.  Even if they begin showing up in the mail, you will not be sent to collections if you are communicating with the billing office.  They will put a note in their database that you are applying for assistance.  Should you not qualify for help or 100% write off, pay what you can.  Hey, if $20 a month is all that you can afford, set the payment up with the billing office.  You can pay only what you have and in doing so, you are still making good on the debt.

Medication Assistance
One more type of assistance that I'd like to share is for medication(s).  I have helped people apply for this and I have used it myself when I've found myself with out health insurance.  Pharmaceutical companies generally have free med programs for their name brand medications.  Check out:

http://www.needymeds.org/

Generic medications often times have a $4/ month equivalent that you can take.  Obviously you have to discuss this with your doctor, but have a list of these meds on hand when you do talk to your doctor about more affordable options.  Just because Wal-Mart has a national pharmacy chain, I'm going to post their link to give an example.  Many other pharmacies are offering the same or similar prices for generic medications, you just have to look online to find them or ask the pharmacist about them.

http://www.walmart.com/cp/1078664

I hope this helps someone.  I no longer work in the social work area, but I always try to share the vital lessons that I learned on the job.  I can also say that I have used these programs myself, and paid Bank of America my monthly mortgage throughout it all.

Why I don't Give Up

I have been asked "why don't you let the bank have your home and free yourself from the financial stresses of your present situation?"  The thought has crossed my mind, but I refuse to let the bank foreclose on my dream.

Growing up, I had the typical little girl's collection of Barbie dolls, but I was more interested in furnishing, decorating, and rearranging the rooms in Barbie's Dream House than playing with Ken, Skipper and the whole crew.  I knew even then that I wanted the real deal one day.

My house is more to me than just four walls with a roof overhead.  Should I ever be in the position where the bank tries to take it from me, they will have to remove me from my place, and I will be kicking and screaming. 

I will post something this weekend about one of my tactics that has helped me get through these crazy financial times.  I promise.  I just thought it was important to explain why being a home owner is so important to me and what drives me to continue my fight towards keeping my abode. What about you? Why did you buy a house or dream to do so? 

A couple of pictures...

December 2011

My sweet old pup

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Technorati

My First House

I was 29 and going through that pre-30's holy-shit-what-do-I-have-to-show-for-my-life crisis.  My ten year high school reunion earlier that year had left me feeling unsettled, to put it mildly.

Was I successful, professionally speaking?  Well, I had my BA, but I wouldn't call working in a cubicle and answering customer service type calls a dream job.  Was I married?  No!  Maintaining a lasting relationship is not a strength of mine either.  Did I have any children?  If you consider an 85 lb yellow labrador retriever a kid, well, why yes I have the best pup in the world!

I was about to turn 30, and I had to do something meaningful with my life.  I had always hoped to buy a home with that special someone, but he was no where in sight.  I decided that I would not use my relationship status as an excuse.

So, 4 years ago, I embarked on this great journey of mine.  I bought my house just before the real estate bubble blew up and nosedived into a frightening place for all home owners in the U.S. (perhaps all over the world?).  The first winter I spent in the house left me with no choice but to heat it with $5 per gallon oil rates.  A job transfer did not come through for me, and I went back to waiting tables.  The honeymoon glow of becoming a first time home owner was short lived for me.

Guess what though?  In spite of all of those scary things called reality, I made it!  I am not part of the ugly foreclosure statistic.  It has not been easy, but I have made things work.  Sometimes the feeling that owning a home is more of a burden than anything else creeps its way into my heart, but most days I am proud of what I have been able to accomplish so far.  I have not ducked behind the trench walls of adversity but instead blindly and fearfully marched on.

I have learned a thing or two about making ends meet in this whacked out economy, and I would like to share my stories with others on how I have managed this exhausting feat.  Hopefully, these will either encourage someone to take that leap of faith and buy their first home.  Perhaps it will give another fellow home owner the hope they need to keep pushing forward and not give up on a difficult financial situation.