How to manage insurance co-pay need advice PLEASE!

[Guest guest]

I am having a BAD week! I found out yesterday I can't get my facet injections

next Wednesday.

I have United health Care and they want 20% " coinsurance " , which will be $411.

Add that to the $500 I already owe the surgical center and it's enough to

depress then hell out of you. I just hung up and started crying.(I also owe

doctor, anesthesiologist etc.)

I need advice from the group please. How do all of you handle the financial

aspects of your disease? They act like I'm having " elective " procedures when I

am just desperately trying to find a way to walk again and dull some of this

excruciating pain! I am crying while typing this.

They just started me on oxycodone and that isn't even working, it just makes me

tired and moody!(can ya tell? lol).

Please give me any tips ya'll have on talking with doctors about financial

matters or any other advice you can give me..

Thanks for letting me vent at 3:45 am!

S(Chicago burbs)

[Guest guest]

S.

Hi, glad to meet someone else from Illinois even though I am downstate from

you but son lives in Chicago. Have you tried talking

to your doctors about getting on a payment plan? They may be willing to work

something out with you and you don't know if you don't ask.

My pain doctor was willing to tell his office to work something out with me when

it looked like I was going to need some help. Sometimes people are more

compassionate than we give them credit for and sometimes not but it's worth a

shot.

My insurance company is very strict about what I can and cannot have done. I

feel like they are my doctor and are making my health decisions. I asked for

permission to go to Mayo Clinic and was just denied so am not too happy. Hang in

there and feel free to email off list if you ever just need to vent.

Becky in Illinois

[Guest guest]

Tracey,

I know how you feel- medical expenses are very overwhelming. I just payed off

debt from anesthesia bills before it went into collection. Let me ask you this-

have you applied for disability? SSD is what I have and you get health insurance

through medicare which is fairly inexpensive. It doesn't cover everything, but

it will cover the majority of your meds/procedures through prior authorization

per your doctor. SSI disability, I believe gets you health insurance through

medicaid. You should see if you qualify for medicaid- they also are fairly low

cost and cover a lot of meds.

Also, some states have prescription saver cards for medications from the

pharmacy. I live in NY and applied for the New York State Prescription Saver

Card- if you are approved, you can get up to 60% off your generic meds. There

are many discount card available online so you should look into this.

I'm not sure of your background or why you have chronic pain but pain is

disabling and if you think you can qualify for disability, you should try. If

you are disabled in any way, look into the Center for Disability Rights offices

in your area as well as VESID locations because there are people who work there

who will advocate for you (free of charge) and help you to find options in

paying your bills.

Good Luck- hope this helps!

Becky From NY

--- S (Chicago burbs( wrote:

>

> Please give me any tips ya'll have on talking with doctors about financial

matters or any other advice you can give me..

[Guest guest]

,

You need to contact the Patient Advocate Foundation. This foundation helps

people like you, with insurance but that have high co-pays. They will hook you

up with community organizations that will pay for your copay or even help with

other stuff too. I am going to give you their link, hope it helps!

Here's the link;

http://patientadvocate.org/help4u.php

Good Luck!

Millie

--- wrote:

> I have United health Care and they want 20% " coinsurance " , which will be $411.

Add that to the $500 I already owe the surgical center and it's enough to

depress the hell out of you. I just hung up and started crying.(I also owe

doctor, anesthesiologist etc.)

>

> I need advice from the group please. How do all of you handle the financial

aspects of your disease? They act like I'm having " elective " procedures when I

am just desperately trying to find a way to walk again and dull some of this

excruciating pain! I am crying while typing this.

[Guest guest]

Awesome Millie! Thanks..I just knew there were a lot of people out there

needing help. I will check this out right now.

S

>Millie wrote:

,

You need to contact the Patient Advocate Foundation. This foundation helps

people like you, with insurance but that have high co-pays.

Here's the link;

http://patientadvocate.org/help4u.php