Hospitalization and surgery with no insurance

[hffmnheidi]

I'm not offended or upset by your question. My parents are paying for the trip because my dad retired this year and due to my medical situation...I had a second surgery in April and a minor complication where I can't be home alone because I have an open wound that requires packing the wound twice a day and I can't do it myself because of the awkward placement on my stomach, but it is healing and will be closed soon.

So, the trip is basically my dad's retirement celebration since he really didn't want to have a party to celebrate. My mom isn't going because she's "Disney'd out", so I am going with my dad because he doesn't want to go alone and he knows I need a vacation after the last year and a half of medical troubles...I almost died three times due to sepsis, liver failure, and respitory failure. It's a retirement celebration slash thank God I'm alive vacation.

 

[PatsMom]

Hey Patsmom,
I must apologize for the tone of my last post. I didn't mean to sound flippant but as a new proud card caring member of "AARP" I am unfortunately find ing out the hard way that if you are a middle income member, health care and drugs are exceedingly expensive. All those wonderful programs that people love to quote, in reality help a very small population.
I do have a problem with the fact that in order to get decent quality health insurance I must either be super rich or live far worse than some 3rd world countries.

Actually a lot of seniors don't know that there is assistance available if they are truly needy. My Mom does some outreach at the senior center and kind of "passes the word" among friends (she's 73). She's sent a few dozen people to the medication assistance program run through the hospital and paid for by the drug companies. Some are more difficult to worth with than others.

I also recently helped my step daughter and her husband obtain their psychiatric drugs at no cost. They are uninsured due to their bad life choices. So isn't their son. We pretty much pay my grandson's expenses for routine physicals, etc but I've made sure I know what is available out there should he need more major medical care.

The programs do help a relatively small population. They are targeted to the people who literally have to choose between drugs and medicine. But the posters on this thread are talking about people who cannot pay for insurance because they are paying for drugs and food. So I just wanted to point out that if your resources are truly that low there is assistance out there for both problems.

Health care and drugs are exceedingly expensive. My husband is on Medicare. For his supplement, his Part B, my coverage and my daughter's coverage we pay almost $1,000 per month. And his supplement is still subsidized by his pension plan. We are very fortunate that we have decent prescription drug coverage but because of my maintenance medications we still pay out of pocket somewhere between $2,500 and $3,000 per year in co-pays. And I use generics wherever my doctors think it appropriate.

So I don't think that I am believing the "drug companies crap" as you so delicately put it. I believe that I have dealt with at least one company for someone truly needy and succeeded. I also hear from my mother of literally hundreds of prescriptions she gets for people each year. And she is a one day a week volunteer.

If you were not able to get assistance, perhaps it is because you are lucky enough to have resources available.

 

[angwill]

I really don't mean to be rude so please don't be upset, but how are you going to Disney in 2011?

Come on a trip to Disney for a week with a family at a value is not enough to pay for insurance for even a couple months. You don't sound rude you sound ignorant asking questions that are none of your business and only meant to start trouble.

 

[iwrbnd]

I'm not offended or upset by your question. My parents are paying for the trip because my dad retired this year and due to my medical situation...I had a second surgery in April and a minor complication where I can't be home alone because I have an open wound that requires packing the wound twice a day and I can't do it myself because of the awkward placement on my stomach, but it is healing and will be closed soon.

So, the trip is basically my dad's retirement celebration since he really didn't want to have a party to celebrate. My mom isn't going because she's "Disney'd out", so I am going with my dad because he doesn't want to go alone and he knows I need a vacation after the last year and a half of medical troubles...I almost died three times due to sepsis, liver failure, and respitory failure. It's a retirement celebration slash thank God I'm alive vacation.

I'm sorry for all you've gone through! I hope you have a great time at Disney!

And, angwill, I really wasn't trying to start something, I was just curious. Yes, I agree, I'm ignorant in a lot of this and am trying to learn. And, yes, I agree it was a rude question and I normally wouldn't ask but it's what we are all discussing here. Again, I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be rude or ignorant but trying to learn!