"Rainbow" (rainbeaux)
06/26/2019 at 16:04 • Filed to: None
1
18|
"Rainbow" (rainbeaux)
06/26/2019 at 16:04 • Filed to: None | 1
| 18 |
My friend is in the hospital with cellulitis, but she doesn’t have insurance. They’re probably sending her home tomorrow, but America’s broken healthcare system is ruining everything. Here’s a short rundown:
She needs a home-care nurse to treat her wound every day.
She has no insurance.
For some unknown reason, she is ineligible for Medicare.
She is unemployed and has literally no way to pay for this nurse.
Do we need to try to set up a GoFundMe or something like that? They're not going to force her to lose her leg just because she's poor... are they?
Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
> Rainbow
06/26/2019 at 16:13 |
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Are there no “assistance” programs in your state?
What about payoff assistance?
Most of this stuff can be taken care of in payments as well.
facw
> Rainbow
06/26/2019 at 16:21 |
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My understanding is that hospitals are required to provide care regardless of ability to pay, but I don’t think home nursing options are. So she’d probably have to go in everyday (the hospital wouldn’t like this at all, but if she has critical needs, it may be the only option).
Medicaid eligibility varies by state, I know when I was in TX my read was that it was that very few people other than single mothers/mothers-to-be could qualify. Medicare eligibility typically requires that you have been on Social Security disability for two years so that might not be helpful (though she should see if she qualifies for that, regardless of the situation more money coming in would be helpful). Also, I assume it is just a typo, but Medicaid and Medicare are two different programs, Medicaid pays for healthcare for the poor (sometimes), while Medicare covers retirees and those unable to work .
There may also be charities she can apply to for money/care help, though I’m sure they are overtaxed.
Ultimately it might be worth her relocating to a state with better Medicaid benefits if she can swing it (though I’d imagine some states try to prevent people from doing this).
I’m sorry she has to go through this, it’s an embarrassment that the richest country in the world can’t provide a decent level of care (especially considering we spend by far the most per-capita on health care).
Wacko
> Rainbow
06/26/2019 at 16:24 |
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reading things like this make me glad i’m Canadian .
Our system is not perfect, but it is way better than the american way to profit from healthcare.
Textured Soy Protein
> Rainbow
06/26/2019 at 16:26 |
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Medicare is for old people. Medicaid is for poor people. Some states have other names for Medicaid, for example Wisconsin calls it Badger Care.
Some states have expanded Medicaid eligibility for “medically needy” people.
The best thing to do is to have her contact her state department of health & human services and see if she can somehow get in to that medically needy eligibility, if it exists in your state. And just in general getting with some kind of case manager there to try and figure out eligibility.
Chariotoflove
> Rainbow
06/26/2019 at 16:28 |
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Wow, that is a tough spot. I don’t know how to arrange help like that without insurance. I am wondering though, is this a chronic condition? Because I’ve had acute cellulitis. After the proper treatment, she should be okay in a relatively short period. Are you sure she can’t do with volunteer care from friends to bridge for a bit?
vondon302
> Rainbow
06/26/2019 at 16:29 |
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Id get a social worker involved. They'd at least send you in the right direction.
VincentMalamute-Kim
> Rainbow
06/26/2019 at 16:31 |
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She can’t accept “unknown reason” for Medicare ineligibility. She needs to find out why she’s ineligible and what it will take for her to
qualify. The hospital should have ‘patient advocates’ that will help her navigate the system.
Yes, our healthcare system is broken. Yes, they can force her to lose her leg for being poor. It won’t be exactly like that. S he won’t be able to treat her cellulitis properly , it will get worse until she has to go to the ER. The ER will have to treat her but her condition may have progressed to osteomyelitis (IV antibiotics, lose the leg) or sepsis (ICU, death).
It doesn’t sound like just cellulitis. She sounds like she has a ‘non-healing ulcer’ which is common with diabetes.
I’m getting the impression (could be wrong
), that there’s some kind of psychological overlay here
- she doesn’t seem to be doing what’s necessary?
maybe not making the best decisions? Not recognizing the seriousness of her problems?
Discerning
> Rainbow
06/26/2019 at 16:32 |
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Edit: comment wasn't helpful. Hope things work out for them.
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facw
> Wacko
06/26/2019 at 16:37 |
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Yeah it’s shameful. We spend a ton of money a nd don’t really do very well with c are:
(To be fair, studies like this are influenced by the fact that many people can’t afford care, among people with insurance the US does much better, but is still not at the top of the pack).
Regardless it’s incredibly frustrating that many people refuse to see this as a problem, let alone adopt solutions from places that do it better. And often they tell us that we can’t afford to have a system more similar to the rest of the developed world, without explaining why system s that yield lower costs elsewhere would increase costs here.
HammerheadFistpunch
> Rainbow
06/26/2019 at 16:41 |
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What FACW and Vincentmalamute-Kim said. Find out what hospital resources exist in the form of:
Charity care
assistance programs
and most importantly a patient advocate.
It’s best for a hospital to provide you care at their expense than it is to treat this chronically in the ED and they know this. Usually a hospital or system has people just for the purpose of keeping patients out of the ED . If needs be contact a social worker to use as a guide for finding these resources. If they can’t find a hospital resource they will be able to help find you other assistance programs or deferred loan programs.
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HammerheadFistpunch
> facw
06/26/2019 at 17:21 |
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Well, not all of us.
Thanks West Virginia and Louisiana for dragging the average down.
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facw
> HammerheadFistpunch
06/26/2019 at 17:27 |
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I’m in MA. In what I’m sure is entirely a coincidence , I hit my out of pocket maximum for the year a few weeks ago, though really that’s mostly about four different expensive brand name drugs that cost me $75-100/month (none have generics only one has similar drugs with generics available , and they weren’t effective for me).
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HammerheadFistpunch
> facw
06/26/2019 at 17:29 |
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I hit my OPM last year and I will this year. Yay Surgery !
gettingoldercarguy
> HammerheadFistpunch
06/26/2019 at 20:45 |
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I don’t see Washington in that chart, I don’t know why . More recent snapshots look like this.
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/health-care
Utah's population is undoubtedly helped by the Mormons. Similar to Amish sects in Ohio.
ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
> facw
06/26/2019 at 21:30 |
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Nothing to see here. The system is working as designed.
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Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
> HammerheadFistpunch
07/03/2019 at 07:48 |
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I see no WI on that list. Guessing it’s because it was to low/left to make the chart.
AMGtech - now with more recalls!
> Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
07/03/2019 at 08:06 |
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WI is on the S in best in the lower right box
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Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
> AMGtech - now with more recalls!
07/03/2019 at 08:24 |
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Like to know where they’re finding this “best” healthcare.......
Least affordable, yes.