HOW I SURVIVED MEDICAL DEBT
It was June 2004 and I was 23 years old. I worked full time as a nursing assistant at a local hospital on midnight shift and worked side jobs just to make ends meet. I was in college at the time and between multiple jobs and school I did not have free time or any extra money to spend. I worked hard everyday just to pay my bills and ensure I would have a brighter future.
My financial life was a mess and although I worked constantly I could never make a dent in my debt. A few bad choices in the beginning had set me up for a terrible financial life at this time. At that time I struggled with just feeding myself. Most days I could only do so by swiping my badge in our cafeteria at the hospital to pay in advance out of my next check. Doing this would provide temporary relief but would often leave me short the month after when paying my bills.
What happened next was a complete surprise
I was rarely getting enough sleep and was always trying hard to keep moving forward. I could barely afford anything and everything that I could not afford went on credit. I made so many mistakes that I would come to regret later. Then the unexpected happened and I was left in a difficult place financially. I was running and working hard to get in better physical shape. At that time I was hoping to get an opportunity that was available with the Toledo Police Department. I had always been interested in working in law enforcement and wanted to be able to pass the physical exam. I was interested in pursuing law enforcement as a possible career path and was trying to make sure that I could meet those standards.
Then I began to notice some physical symptoms
During this time I started to feel lightheaded. Over the last few years I had a few fainting spells but they had recently increased in frequency. I realized that something just didn’t seem right. I would work a 12 hour shift at night, take classes in the morning multiple days a week and I was a part time nanny for a few families. My financial situation still was not good at the time and no matter how hard I worked it seemed to be getting worse. I believed that with hard work and dedication I could really change my life around. As time went on, I began noticing more physical issues. Symptoms such as feeling light headed, fainting, feeling increasingly tired, and occasional heart palpitations. I was torn between whether it was just exhaustion or whether it was something more. During this time I kept exercising and running on very little sleep and believing that I was young and I could handle it. But could I?
Doctor visits and uncertainty
Working in healthcare I knew that even though I was young and presumably healthy something wasn’t quite right. I started by seeing my family doctor first and was referred to a few other specialists. I had multiple doctors suggest everything from blood sugar and blood pressure issues and even dehydration. I had multiple tests including EKGs, Echocardiograms, holter monitor, 5 hour glucose tests and tilt table tests. Out of all of these tests nothing came back explaining what was really causing my symptoms. At that time I was referred by a friend of our family another cardiologist to a coworker of his Dr. Blair Grubb. Dr. Grubb is a cardiologist that specializes in situations with unexplained heart and vascular issues like mine. Dr Grubb was the first to suggest that I might have Long QT syndrome. He explained that this often shows unexpectedly in the young and healthy and it was a possibility with my symptoms.
How the Dr. determined my health condition
The first steps were to start with some of the same testing that I had previously been through. Dr. Grubb performed his own in office EKG, listened to my heart and spent time talking to me about my symptoms and experience. He was the first doctor that I felt really took me seriously through this entire situation. His recommendation at that point was to do an implantable heart monitor that would be surgically placed and would monitor my heart during any episodes. At that time I chose to have the monitor placed and then all I could do was wait. I would continue on with life as normal with a monitor implanted the size of a small flash drive in my chest recording my heart activity.
The day it all changed
One minute I had been in a patient’s room caring for them and the next moment I woke up sitting in their chair sweating and uncertain where I was. Thankfully my patient was in the restroom and was unaware of what was going on. I could not even remember the surrounding circumstances or where I was when I awoke. I rushed to get the assistance of a nurse I was working with and immediately contacted the cardiologist that I had been seeing. It became obvious something was not right. It had been a couple weeks since I had this monitor placed and proceeded with life hoping for some answers. Before the monitor, I had a few fainting spells. These fainting spells happened while working on night shift caring for patients as a nurses aide. This last time with the monitor, I finally got some answers. I had the monitor’s information downloaded and spoke with Dr. Grubb afterwards. He explained I had pauses in my heartbeat and with the activity he could see on the monitor my current condition was diagnosed as Sick Sinus Syndrome. The next step was a pacemaker placement and they were scheduling emergency surgery. All the while, I was thinking “ I can barely pay my bills already”.
Scared and confused but trusting my physician
Surgery was scheduled, a silver dollar sized pacemaker and two wire leads were placed inside my chest. My cardiologist had done a wonderful job. I left work on a leave that would last over a month and my financial and physical situation were turned upside down. I was only 23, young, overall healthy, and not prepared for any of this. I had no savings. I had selected the lower cost health insurance through my employer that covered only 60% of the bill and was already deep in debt. My finances were already a mess and they were about to get so much worse.
The mistakes I made and lessons learned
At that time I had made a lot of financial mistakes in an effort to live independently. I made choices that affected me in ways that I could not understand when I made them. I wish I had known how to handle my finances when I was young and prevented such a financial struggle. Had I been prepared and educated on what to do, I could have avoided years spent repairing my finances. I currently work in medical billing and have learned a lot that I can share throughout my time in healthcare.
Mistakes that I recommend you avoid
Choosing the lowest health insurance plan may save you a few dollars a week but even for the healthy this can be a terrible decision. Why? Because insurance is for these moments that happen and you never expect. Accidents and unexpected health issues can really cripple your financial situation. If you do not have insurance or you have insurance that only covers a small portion it can leave you in crippling debt.
Not having a savings account and emergency fund. I was young and felt that I never had enough money even with multiple jobs. I wasted money everyday on frivolous things and I can see that now looking back on it. I didn’t make a lot and lived paycheck to paycheck due to poorly budgeting my money. I had also began to get so much credit card debt built up that I could not pay off.
Credit cards became my emergency fund. This is the worst idea especially when you have no real income. At this point I was already deep in debt and could not afford to pay even the minimum payments most month. This was the worst feeling ever and I felt hopeless. I could absolutely see no end in sight to my financial problems and then I started getting medical bills.
Not returning phone calls regarding my medical bills. This was a terrible mistake that I made simply because I could not afford to pay the bills they sent me. I just would not answer the phone or return their calls. I let this go one far too long until the last call where the girl finally explained that I was being sent to collections.
Looking back on my options now I wish I could have avoided the method used to payoff my first pacemaker surgery. When I inquired on if I could do a payment plan I was advised that they would only do a third party loan. Feeling that I had no other options at the time I set up and paid my medical bills for the next few years on this loan. Knowing what I know now I would have spoken with a social worker in advance regarding my financial situation and inquired on additional assistance. I might have discussed other options and considered a different hospital that would have accommodated a payment plan.
How to handle an unexpected medical crisis financially
Stay in contact the entire time with your healthcare giver or hospital regarding your bill. Do not avoid phone calls or provide inaccurate information. This can only harm you more in the long run. This can actually cause you to owe on charges you never would have owed due to failure to communicate. There can be legal consequences involved in situations like this where you can be held responsible for costs you normally would not have been. There are time frames that you are allowed to update things with insurance companies and when no contact is made by you within that time frame balances can become your responsibility.
Once balances are dropped to collections it can affect your financial situation worse. If you can’t pay your bills you can contact the billing department in most healthcare facilities. In these situations they will usually be willing to arrange interest free payment plans. You may even qualify for additional help in paying off your medical debt such as discounts or even medical debt written off. Be honest and open about your financial situation. They may require you to provide proof such as pay stubs or other documentation. The more you are honest and willing to work with them the more they will be willing to help you. I now work in medical billing and these are just a few of the things I have learned since then.
If you go on short term disability at your current job be aware that you will owe taxes on the money paid to you. You can often request that your HR department withhold taxes but if you do not do so they will not withhold them. Later on when you file taxes you may have to pay taxes and if you are getting a refund this could decrease your refund significantly.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Overall this whole experience can devastate your finances if you continue to ignore the current reality. You must cut expenses everywhere and start to live like you are broke. If there are available financial resources offered do not be embarrassed to take those opportunities.
Always check your medical bills for errors. If things do not seem right or something seems off call and ask questions. You never know when you may have been mistakenly billed in error for something that you should not have been. Medical billers are human and we do make mistakes and a quick glance at your account may help us catch these errors.
Our current healthcare and financial crisis
Right now with the Coronavirus or Covid-19 many people are experiencing both health crisis and financially devastating circumstances. So how do you handle this right? How can you make sure that you come out of this ok? The truth is none of us knows just what to expect from all of this. We are anxious about jobs that are either uncertain right now or have already let us go. You might be laid off temporarily or even permanently right now and that is scary. You might have little or no resources available at your disposal but you are not alone. Many others are dealing with the same thing. My husband was laid off a few weeks ago and my job has now been moved to working from home currently.
Recommendations for those dealing with financial stress related to a healthcare crisis
Don’t be afraid to admit you need help. Many others are struggling just the same all around the world. You should not feel ashamed that you are in this place and you do not have to struggle alone.
Look for resources that are available and apply for whatever you feel you may qualify for. Keep in mind this is not permanent this is just a difficult period where you might need a helping hand.
Talk with a social worker while you are hospitalized or going through treatments and be honest about your financial situation. Social workers are a great resource in connecting you with assistance that you may not even know is available for people in your current situation.
Look for food pantries that might offer help with groceries when money is tight. Religious organizations and charities often offer support in this way. Check your own local area for requirements, times and locations.
Contact the hospital or clinic immediately when you receive a bill to discuss payment options. Be honest and upfront about your financial struggles and see what they can offer or what they advise you to do.
In times of crisis it is difficult to plan ahead because you typically do not expect what has happened. There are a few more articles that I have written regarding planning ahead for healthcare situations that I feel might be helpful for you.
A few additional articles that may save you money
What is the cost of my healthcare procedure?
What you need to know about medical billing
The Truth about your medical bills
Save money on your prescriptions
A guide to saving for an upcoming pregnancy
How I planned a financially successful maternity leave
Be on the lookout for a story next week from another blogger who shares his family’s personal financial experience related to a healthcare crisis. I think that learning from our mistakes and each other’s mistakes can be critical in preventing devastating financial crisis.
If you have a healthcare crisis that you have learned from and would like to share your story. I would be willing to possibly interview you or share your story in an upcoming post. Feel free to email me here at savingjoyfully@outlook.com regarding this opportunity. Bloggers, you can share your story along with a link to your own website. You may also include a link to a more in-depth article which you may have previously wrote on your website.
