About this Blog
~Hi, my name is Courtney. I was a full time college student, starting to be a dancer, and used to work with kids part time, living on my own until my illness disabled me.
~I became sick in 2005. I created this blog in the summer of 2006 to record my "headache" diary and to see if anyone finds it interesting.
~12/2006 I lost my job then after, failed a year of college.
~2/2007 Dx Lyme Disease with Bartonella: prescribed 8 months of oral antibiotics. I'm not even sure if I ever had the Lyme Disease.
~11/2007 The doctor took me off medicines while I was still improving but not fully recovered.
~6/2008 Dx Chiari I Malformation by a neurosurgeon in Beverly Hills.
~8/2008 Decompression and Lamenectomy helped 80% of my problems.
~2/2009 Dx Hypermobility by an Orthopedic Surgeon/School Doc: Started PT, dancing, going to school and working.
~6/2009 Started working full time as an Infant-Toddler teacher, which requires lifting. Dancing part time, maybe I'll finish school eventually...lol
~12/2009 Dx Chronic Sinusitis: Stopped dancing due to constant infections.
~2/2010 Sinus Surgery & complication: Severe Epistaxis: Became severely anemic.
~3/2010: Dx Ehlers Danlos Syndrome: by Geneticist
~4/2011: Switched jobs, now work at a Pre-K teacher for 3 and 4 year olds. Less lifting!
~5/2011: Started PT and exercising again
medical bills
ugh! i just found out that my insurance doesnt cover prescriptions! And this whole time I thought it did and that I just had to pay up front and submit a claim and I would get reimbursed! we dont have that kind of money...
Posts
13 comments:
I've spent almost $2, 000 (so far) out-of-pocket because of this stupid disease.
There went my savings.. I'm only 19 lol I have NOTHING!
I don't know what to tell ya. Maybe someone else on here has some options for him?
Take care and hope you're feeling okay,
Steve.
Hello everyone. My doctor gave me this resource list for insturance disputes and medication assistance. Maybe this will help someone.
PATIENT'S MEDICATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS:
www.edhayes.com/indigent.html
CALIFORNIA PATIENT'S GUIDE:
www.calpatientguide.org
HEALTH CARE ADVOCATES:
www.healthcareadvocates.com/lyme.html
HEALTH ADMINISTRATION RESPONSIBILITY PROJECT
www.harp.org
NEEDY MEDS
www.needymeds.com/indices/brandname.shtml
PATIENT ADVOCATES:
www.harp.org/consadv.htm
LEGAL AID AND PRO BONO LIST:
www.harp.org/links.htm#probono
TRUMAN'S FIGHTING HMO'S AND MCO'S SITE
www.truemanlaw.com
Now, I've not personally investigated these sites yet, so I'm unsure how helpful they are. But its worth checking into.
Also, if you have a Costco in your area, national Rx studies have shown just recently that they offer the lowest cash price for meds out of all pharmacies. Walgreens was rated the worst/most expensive. You can also ask your regular pharmacist if they will match costco prices. In Salt Lake city, we had a grocery chain called Smith's Food King, and if you said the magic words (sigh.. what a game) "match costco's price" they would do so.
And I don't know if this is possible, but with some meds, it is possible to get samples from your doctor. As many pharm reps that stalk our medical offices, you'd think something would be made available.
And lastly, when I was having a hard time financially, I would only purchase two weeks worth of meds at a time, instead of a whole month's worth, so I could pay from each 2-week paycheck.
I was also able to write off all out-of-pocket med/pharmacy expenses on my taxes that year, and I got 2000.00 back.
Hope all this info might help some of you. Franni
This helps SOO much!
I found a really interesting link called law and lyme disease........ reviews of cases where folks have sued insurance companies..... very interesting!
http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Oasis/6455/lyme-links-misc.html#law
Franni
ps: I can't seem to get into the trueman.com website that I referred to earlier. I'll keep trying.
My Insurance company is Oxford...which is notorious for being one of the most anti-Lyme insurance companies, and also for reporting LLMDs to medical boards.
Oxford doesnt pay for my IV, which is expected since about 95% of insurances dont...
However, before my actual diagnosis they paid astronomical prices for "trial" treatments for things like Guillian Barre and about 20 other "possible" causes for my illness.....but once It was deemed "Late stage Lyme..." forget it!
They actually use the excuse "She is too sick to have Lyme disease", because of my severe symptoms.....and because of the amount of treatment I have recieved, and they have written us letters of other tests to run for other causes (tests which we already had ran lol)
I actually have a lawsuit pending against a couple of doctors for "Failure to diagnose", since we have excellent evidence to prove my illness started 5-8 years before I was diagnosed.....but I would LOVE to go after my insurance company eventually :)
If you put all of your money into a Supplemental Needs Trust, Medicare/Medicaid cannot attach themselves onto that money, and you can use that fund just like you would any other bank account..(You need a Lawyer to do this).
Hi All
Bridges to Access will give you free meds for Babs---
I had to sign up with them to get Mepron -
1 year supply-$25, 000 -- Free
You dont have to be broke-
Sign up was Super Easy took 10 minutes--
Make Sure you fill out the forms Carefully-
make Sure each form has the same # at top of page-
4 pages - about 10 questions -mostly yes- no --
Forms are printed from online --
Your doctor or pharmacist or health adivicate
--Has to make One phone call - takes 5 minutes tops -
You can get meds Same Day from local pharmacy --
your doctor has to write 2 perscriptions-
one for use Same Day use --
One to be sent to Bridges to Access for remainder of script --
Remaining Meds will be sent to your home by UPS -
The Bridges to Access folks are Very Nice and helpful-
Hope this helps--Jay--
Great posts everyone, keep up the good work. Let me know who the most consistent providers are once some of you try out these links. That way I can start a list for each grouping -- Free Medicine, Financial Assistance, etc
When I was being treated for Babesiosis--my doctor labeled the disease "Intercellular Parasitosis"---see, sometimes changing the name, makes the insurance company unaware they are paying into the whole "Lyme complex"--Mepron which can be $800 a bottle, which they wouldnt pay for with the diagnosis of Lyme/babesia was payed for under "Intercellular Parasitosis"....just thought this was interesting...I know you cant "ask" your LLMD to do this, but maybe just casually mention it or something. For my IV though,
I am just fortunate that my family has money to do this for me, and I can afford whatever doctors or treatments I need...I cant even think about what they have paid out of pocket already...not only for Lyme and the IVs, but I did herbs, supplemets, things from Compounding pharmacies (Metagenix), I saw over 50 doctors who dont take insurance, I have also been misdiagnosed over 30 times and had to pay out of pocket to be treated for those diseases....it has definitley cost well over 300, 000 so far, and my health is no better than when we started :( . I am hoping with some upcoming appointments, and switching my insurance soon (if they will take me w/ 9 different pre-diagnosis') I will be able to get on the right track with this disease and start heading toward remmission/cure.
Yup, we talked about that at one point -- the relabeling. I sure hope you get better soon, and get some relief. It's horrendous what is happening in our society with health care. We seriously need universal health care. I've said it over and over, the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" should mean, the right to "health, for without health, you lose your life, and everything that follows. That's not independance, that's not the American way."
I totally agree Mike, But would universal health care inculde specialty doctors? Or specialty labs--probably not righT?? so it would be the same dilemma.
Every physician ought to be appropriately compensated. We spent how much money on Iraq? Oh, I remember -- enough to give "EVERYONE" medical coverage for 20 + years.
Every patient ought to have access to the highest level of medical care to resolve whatever health problems that concern them.
The problem is, we don't have our priorities in order. Our current politicians waste money, and I didn't vote for them. I'm a fiscal conservative, and I believe in only spending on those projects which are priority, and when doing so, the best labor at the best price ought to be in effect.
I agree Mike. I loathe our healthcare system and I hate it when I meet more and more people who cannot afford their meds, treatment, and procedures for various health issues.
I spent thousands so far on this illness. About $1, 500 for Dr vists, 2 emergency room visits, and numerous tests when undiagnosed (MRI of knee, brain, entire spinal cord, ultrasound of pelvis and abdomen, some MS testing, and expensive cancer tests and so on). Then the costs stepped up after diagnosis. I spent out ab$2, 000 for all the available Igenex tests and including the initial Dr vists. Then I paid 20% of the IV treatment. It was $1, 900 or something like that. It is a blur of bills for me; I just pay and try to think about it. Then I pay for monthly vists for my llmd and infectious disease Dr and all pills. My llmd is $300 some for the first visit and I think 200-300 for subsequent vists, which costs me a lot as the months pass. I don't mind this because my other Drs get the same or more, its just that my insurance picks it up. So the llmd, which isn't part of my insurance plan, really hurts me financially. Luckily, my pills are usually about $20 a month/bottle, so I pay about $40 a month in pills. If I ever get another IV treatment (which I will if I don't recover completely on orals in time) it will be another 2 grand, plus paying for the catheter insertion. I also have good insurance believe it or not! I am glad I have a low copays on orals and they will never stop my orals, like the will with IV. Also, I just switched to a better plan within the same company, so now my llmd will start getting covered. That will be nice, but of course I pay my health insurance company more biweekly now. This disease has definitely hurt my bank account. This is not including all my "special" treatments, like zyflamyd, candex, and probiotics. Zyflamyd and candex are not cheap and cost a lot more than my oral antibiotics. I would not be surprised if I spent 10k on this disease so far.
It sucks, but I am grateful I am able to afford it. If I got sicker sooner (I didn't get very sick at first) I would have been financially devasted because I didn't have a good paying job at the time and was still living at home. I also don't think my parents could have afforded my bills and supplements when I was 19. Actually, I know they couldn't have (my father was in the military at the time), they would have had to put everything on credit card and I would have felt guilty making them pay for optional things like zyflmyd and candex. Right now, since I've been in the same position for a few years and I don't have any children, I have a decent amount of disposable income now. It just sucks that I can't use it for other things or put it in stock. But I am glad I didn't have to burden my mom and dad and that my body held in there for several years before breaking down. Now my parents are doing much better because my dad is a civilain, actually he tripled his income. The military is really underpaid, even the highly educated ones who do not work in physical occupations.
I would check out your options and see if you can switch plans. Or have a spouse or you look for a job with better benefits. Would you feel comfortable buying from Canada? What are you on? Some antibiotics are VERY cheap, like doxy.
I am ashamed as an American when the topic of healthcare comes up among foriegn friends.
Yeah it sucks...you are really fortunate that your insurance even payed for ANY IV treatment past the first month!! It is 1, 500 a MONTH...not TOTAL!! lol and IV is my only option of a treatment that has given me any benfit so far--and even with positive PCRs, Western Blots, and a Microscopy test...the insurance takes the stand "Lyme would be better by now--MANY things are misdiagnosed as Lyme--re-test her"....y
et , Still find it hilarious that they have paid close to ONE MILLION dollars in the past TWO years on my testing, treatments, specialists, ER visits, PCP visits, and many hospitalizations in many different hospitals, they EVEN paid for a private plane flight for hospital transfer to FL ...ALL before my Diagnosis...hahah once it was determined "LYME"---we were on our own, and since then they pretty much pay for testing, and oral prescriptions, but we pay for IV, and every bill the insurance kicks back---which is anything to do with "Lyme" haha.
And I am a kid, I am 19, so my parents have to pay for all of this...I am just happy they have money, and feel sorry for taking the money for granted in my past "Healthy" years wanting materialistic things all of the time ...when you lose your health you have nothing. I just hope that this doesnt turn into something where my parents need to spent 1-2 million dollars (like many other families in my condition have) to get me well when we HAVE insurance...its ridiculous.
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