Please help

tanya01

Hey everyone I am hoping you can point me in the right direction.  I am not sure where to look. I have tied so many different agencies and I cant not seem to get any help. I am  looking to see if anyone know of any places that can help with some of my financial needs. I am barley making ends meet and I am past due on a lot of my bills. The medical bills are piling up.  I finished chemo  in Oct 2011. I was off work  for a little over 6 month. I was only getting paid on short term at 60%. This is what put me behind. I am just looking to get caught up. I am back at work full time but I cant see to get the bills under control.  This is causing me a lot of stress and I am losing weight like crazy. I have tried the hope foundation and a few that the American cancer society  offers but they all keep telling me that I make too much money for being a single person. But they have idea how much I have to pay out each month. They don't even ask to see what my bills are. I can barely afford to eat.  I  have been living off of mac n cheese and cereal for as long as I can remember. I just feel like giving up. I went back to work even before I was done with chemo. I just don't know what to do anymore.. any advice would be great. Thank you.

ICanDoThis

I am so sorry that you have to go through all this stress.

Either your onc's office or your hospital should have a social worker on staff who can help you getting a payment program in place, so that the bills won't be piling up. If there is no social worker, ask to talk to the office manager.

Don't agree to pay more than you can afford. I am still paying for a surgery I had last year - I owed $2500 after insurance, and had the money saved up, then our basement flooded and my savings went to the plumber - they do not wait. But I'll be done in a few months.

The reality is that professionals usually make too much money to qualify for help - that is why there are so many medical bankruptcies.

Hugs

MaryNY

Hi Tanya:

It's bad enough that we have to go through so much with surgery and treatment without also having to worry about how to pay for it. 

I'd do what Sue suggested and contact the hospital or center where you were treated.

If you only worked six months last year, your income for 2011 must have been much lower than usual. Is it mostly the chemo bills that are the problem? With me I had a problem with the bills for rads. Although I had insurance while going through rads, there was a very high deductible which I couldn't afford -- I think it was about $2,500. I contacted the hospital where I was treated. As far as I remember there was a financial aid application right on their site. I filled that in and submitted it with my prior year tax return. At that stage I had been unemployed for over a year. They responded quickly and waived the entire bill. I still had $20 copays for other doctor's visits but I've been able to manage those.

dlb823

(((Tanya))), I'm concerned that you aren't eating well enough, nor is the stress you're under good for you.  In addition to checking with your hospital's social worker, is there a church you could possibly ask for a little help -- even if it's just enough to increase your food budget?  Is there a food pantry in your area?  There's no shame in taking some extra help temporarily to get you through this, and if they can supply you with a weekly food box, you'd have a little extra money for fresh fruits & vegetables.  Is there anyone in your family you could borrow enough from to pay off your medical bills, then re-pay them over time with a bit of interest?  Interest rates are so low right now, they wouldn't be losing anything loaning you money vs. having it in the bank, as long as you could repay it over time.  If no family member, how about a bank loan to consolidate your other debts?  Has anyone looked at your monthly cash flow with you to see if you can decrease any of your ongoing expenses, such as auto insurance with higher deductibles, etc.?  Sometimes it takes someone with financial experience to spot something that we don't realize could help.

I'm so sorry you're going through this, but you're not alone, and the most important thing is your health.  Don't let the situation you're in get to you.  You can only do what you can do, and hopefully you'll figure out some ways to cut expenses or get some additional income very soon.     Deanna

Chickadee

Please take care of yourself first. You have a lot on your plate.



Try to find a non profit credit counseling service in or near your community. They will help you create a plan going forward. Stay away from the for profit ones, they will just create more problems.

Moderators

Tanya, as well as the great advice you've already received, the Paying for Your Care section of the main Breastcancer.org site has info about lowering medicine costs and help paying for living expenses, among other suggestions.

Best wishes,

• The Mods

peggy_j

I'm so sorry you're going through this. You've gotten a lot of good advice. As others have said, many oncology departments have a social worker and this person is an expert on getting help with logistical things. Are there any cancer support centers nearby? Most have counselors and others who can help. Not sure if you have resources like that near you. Even if it's not close (maybe an hour or two away) you could always call and ask them on the phone if they know of resources.

Like Deanna, I'm concerned about your food. (I became very concerned about my food during and after Tx). Do you have any friends nearby who could bring over a meal or maybe invite you over once a week? You're done w/ Tx but we all know that the health concerns don't end right then. Many people who haven't had cancer may not know how to help. Maybe if you let them know, a few people will help out. Good luck! I'll be thinking of you and sending good healing and $$ vibes.

rosie06ct

Please remember to take care of yourself FIRST.... I am working full time but have fallen very far behind as we are underwater with our mtg, so everything is falling ...            i have tried the oncs social worker only to hear we dont qualify for anything.. now working with a outside social worker /counselor to help elivate all this stress.

i do know that writing a detailed letter to bill collectores stating the facts and that YOU DO intend to pay but can only pay 10 a month for the next 6 months sometimes does work. but unfortunately that doesnt take the stress away...

best of luck and if  you find resources let us know ..............((()())