What the Hopsital Said

The response to our GoFundMe for Dan’s medical expenses has been both incredibly humbling and extremely encouraging. So far we’ve raised nearly $3500 to cover medical and other expenses. I wish you all could see the difference it’s making in Dan. To have so many people we’ve never met respond so willingly and generously has given him hope. And to have so many people praying for him has given him peace of mind.

Yesterday Dan talked to the billing office at our local hospital. This is the first one we went to and have been billed $3554.42 for the initial emergency care of his fingers (my original blog post here.) He hoped to get the bill down to a manageable size, but the most they would discount it was $1066.30 which brings it down to $2488.02. If he paid in full on the spot, they’d give him an addition 10% off and accept $2239.21. We still don’t know what the second ER will charge, so Dan set up a minimal payment schedule for that first bill. Once we have an idea of the combined totals, we’ll have a better idea of how far we have to spread our funds.

What we have paid, is the GP and the hand surgeon, both in full so that’s behind us. Also Dan made a decision about the options the surgeon gave him. In my update last Sunday, I shared that he was given two possibilities. He was told he could let the one finger heal as is, with no knuckle and compromised functionality, or have it amputated at the knuckle. The finger is very much alive; he has feeling, blood flow, and movement (albeit limited at this time), so he decided against the amputation. It didn’t make much sense to pay for an appointment just to tell them he wasn’t going to have the surgery, so he canceled it.

Several of you mentioned about applying for financial assistance, and have been able to utilize such programs yourselves. When Dan spoke with the hospital billing office he was given an application for that, and I’m curious as to what you all think about the information they want.

The first page discusses eligibility. Uninsured patients between 100 and 200% of the federal poverty level apply. For two persons that’s between $16,460 and $32,920. Our combined incomes fall easily within that range, so we’re eligible. What could they need, I thought, except proof of income and perhaps some information on things like mortgage payments and other bills. I was wrong. Here’s what’s required to apply.

For all members of the household (not just the responsible party) they want photocopies of:

• drivers license or photo ID
• social security cards
• 4 weeks of pay stubs
• social security income verification
• food stamp verification
• self-employment or business verification
• utility bill
• car insurance statement
• voter registration
• 3 months worth of bank statements for checking, savings, IRA/401k, and PayPal accounts
• any other information on request

I confess this was something of a jaw-dropper for me. When Dan was discharged from the second ER a financial aid application was included in his paperwork. They wanted occupation of patient and spouse, income, bank balances, value of home, and unpaid mortgage balance. All of that seems logical. This one, on the other hand, does not. Unless there’s the possibility that my great-grandmother lives with us and receives a small SS check each month, then they would use that as part of our eligibility formula? Or if someone has teenagers working to save for college, their personal savings is considered fair game for their parent’s hospital bill? Or are they trying to deter people in need from applying? Keep people in poverty? Sorry, but the information they want seems a tad overreaching. What do you think?

Next time I’ll give you an update on Dan’s progress and what we’re doing at home to encourage healing.