I can't afford to be sick!

[amyrising]

Because I have gone undiagnosed for years, I have over $40,000 in medical bills. I can't afford them How do you all work through the bills? Now more medication and appointments. Even with Insurance, my 2 visits to Virginia Mason have already cost over $1000. I am feeling completely overwhelmed.

[22cyclist]

Most medical centers will work with you on the cost of your bills. Call them and work out a schedule to pay off the bills. First tell them your income, and get the overall bill down to a more reasonable number. This only works before the bill has gone into collection services.

I have done this several times. Just call the hospital and ask about it through the billing department.

If you owe places like outside of the hospital labs, call them and ask for a payment plan. Payment plans for medical bills cannot charge interest, and you dictate how much you can pay. As long as you pay .50 each month they cannot put you into collections.

This goes for hospital bills too.

Many hospitals also have things like charity care for people who have insurance but it doesn't cover everything. It will cover everything else that insurance doesn't cover at 100%.
You just have to apply.

So just check around with the billing department in the hospitals where you have been.

Good luck!
Take care
Lisa
Moderation Team

[Tawanda]

You are in good company. MS takes strong hold of us right during our prime earning years, hurting us individually, and hurting our family at large. It seem surprising to me how little we discuss this topic around here.

I hate to say it, but I only go to my neurologist nowadays. I can't afford anything else. Something else goes wrong, oh well.

[Jules A]

While I can't imagine the frustration of knowing something is wrong but not getting any answers I don't think I would put myself in financial ruin in an attempt to get a diagnosis.

My guess is eventually whatever it is will change and show itself so a diagnosis of some sort is likely inevitable.

[lusciousleaves]

I completely agree with Jules on this one. Hindsight is 20/20. We keep hoping for answers to possibly prevent a potential disability when things seem to keep going downhill. When they stabilize, we move on and can forget about it all. When they start going downhill again, the natural thing is to want answers and start seeking them again. The truth is, it shows up when it shows up. Until then, you're just running in circles and throwing out your hard earned money, the supply of which gets smaller and smaller every year.

With the way our sick care system is structured today, everyone is in the same boat that has a chronic health problem. None of us can afford what's offered on the market, whether employer sponsored or the health care exchange. If we can afford the premiums, most of us can't afford to use the insurance because of the extra costs associated with that. Otherwise, you're just enriching others and spinning your wheels.

The one and only test that's going to get you anywhere near an MS diagnosis is an MRI. If there was one thing you'd invest in above all others, it would be that, maybe every year or two if you can swing it or your insurance covers it. No need for an MS doctor, no need for a specialist other than an appointment every 12 months or so with a neurologist. If you have a major flare up, go to the ER for help. Get a decent GP that can handle your medication collection, and only see a specialist when they won't prescribe something you need. Then just keep in touch for refills unless absolutely necessary.

I fully understand about the medication thing. I went from needing nothing other than an occasional advil every now and then 3 years ago to now needing ten different meds daily to half-ways function and stay comfortable. Unfortunately, none of this has given me back my energy that I need to get back to work and accomplish the demands I should be tending to daily.

It's a catch 22. If any of those charges are for hospital or doctor visits, I'd most definitely look into charity care and kindly ask for reduced charges. Some doctors do have compassion and will write off a percentage of the bill if you just ask.

This country doesn't need anymore bankruptcies due to health expenses, although I don't believe the changes that have been made are going to change that situation any time soon. Doctors DO understand this, and there is help available if you truly need it. Go get it if you do. That's what it's there for. Better to swallow your pride and ask then to lose the roof over your head or that and more.

Best wishes, and I hope you're able to bounce back from this obstacle to your own well-being. Stress just adds more to the unhealthy mix and complicates things. When your body is fighting a battle of unknown origin, it's the last thing you need to add to the collection. Please take care.

[amyrising]

I DO have a diagnosis of MS, but it took several years. I could not, not find out what was wrong. My life has been forever changed by the symptoms I was experiencing...I wrecked my car, I lost my job, was having trouble taking care of my children and home and was in constant pain that made me want to hurt myself. I was told at the ER, after my first MRI that I possibly had MS. The local MS Neuro said she didn't think it was MS and I continued the path of trying to find an answer. They couldn't stop the pain or find the cause. It consumed my every day. I had times where I could not get groceries and was on probation at my new job for making so many mistakes. I am relieved to know that I was not crazy, that there was something going on. I am now overwhelmed by the bills. Hindsight is 20/20...that is for sure. If I could do it all over, I would have pushed a year ago to go to Virginia Mason and saved myself the pain and all the bills. Now I have to find a way to deal with them

[KatieAgain]

I DO have a diagnosis of MS, but it took several years. I could not, not find out what was wrong. My life has been forever changed by the symptoms I was experiencing...I wrecked my car, I lost my job, was having trouble taking care of my children and home and was in constant pain that made me want to hurt myself. I was told at the ER, after my first MRI that I possibly had MS. The local MS Neuro said she didn't think it was MS and I continued the path of trying to find an answer. They couldn't stop the pain or find the cause. It consumed my every day. I had times where I could not get groceries and was on probation at my new job for making so many mistakes. I am relieved to know that I was not crazy, that there was something going on. I am now overwhelmed by the bills. Hindsight is 20/20...that is for sure. If I could do it all over, I would have pushed a year ago to go to Virginia Mason and saved myself the pain and all the bills. Now I have to find a way to deal with them

Get with your local Chapter of The United Way. All the local charities fall under their umbrella. See if they have someone who offers free financial or legal counseling to see if a large percentage of this debt can be written off. If it is all Medical...there should be a way to at least get this reduced.

Good luck. I am certain this whole thing is quite stressful.

[onlyairfare]

Amyrising, you might try contacting Project Access Northwest if you live in King County, Kitsap or Snohomish (you might if you are going to Virginia Mason). They may be ale to help you get the care you need at a price you can afford, and you may also be eligible for some of the subsidized insurance programs offered in Washington State.

Good luck.

[JBWInColorado]

I spent 5 days in the hospital around Labor Day, when I was diagnosed. Now the bills are showing up... My hospital stay cost $38,000!!! THIRTY EIGHT LARGE. And that's just the hospital! There are also the bills from all the doctors & radiology, follow up visit co-pays, etc. I have good insurance but even with my deductible and out of pocket cap, it's gonna cost me about $3000, which is a lot of money for me.

However - I received excellent care and it was a nice private room with a mountain view

When all the claims are paid and I start getting actual PAY US bills, I'll contact each creditor and work something out. Won't be easy but I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

I have to pick the amount for my Flex account at work soon... Does anyone else have a good way to estimate how much they may pay in the next year on medical stuff, including scripts, etc.?

[sbates]

Well, I may be different than everyone else but I say you can't put a price tag on your health. This is a new mindset for me. I never went to the Dr for anything before unless I absolutely had to and sometimes not even then. I have only been diagnosed for less than 2 months but from the amount of lesions I have they seem to think I could have had ms for more than 10 years. I feel stupid that if I had only gone sooner I could have prevented some of the damage done. As for medical bills, I seem to spend all of my time on the phone with my insurance company, hospitals, and drs offices. My insurance company actually denied my claim as pre-existing. I had to argue that forever and jump through hoops to get that taken off. I applied for financial assistance to take care of the remainder and it looks like they may write off my remaining balance. I was more worried about the cost of medication. I'm on Gilenya and it is $5000 a month. I didn't know how much my insurance would pay but it turned out I only had a copay of $70. THEN the Gilenya company gave me copay assistance and it is absolutely free now. It takes a lot of phone calls and can be exhausting but there are definately ways to work around the bills. Good luck to you!

[SEAMSGUY]

Amy, please think about contacting the Greater NW Chapter of the National MS Society (206-284-4236). They can help you sort things out!

[amyrising]

Thank you guys for all the suggestions.

[Temagami]

JBW- be careful - if you put aside money in a flex account AND you become disabled, the SSA uses the lower salary (your salary MINUS the amount put into the flex acct.) to calculate a disability benefit. It is so you cannot have your cake and eat it too- ie- you donīt pay tax on the money that goes into the flex acct. but in case of disability, it does NOT count towards your salary. The odds of MSers getting disabled needs to go into the mental calculation before opting for a flex acct. The tax savings of using a flex acct. are not that much and the flip side of years of lower disability payments, for me, outweigh the savings of the potential flex acct.
My two cents, Temagami

[JBWInColorado]

Temagami - thank you for that info! Something to definitely consider...