Overwhelmed by doctor bills wwyd?
 

My son has been having seizures since June of 2011. My husbands insurance plan at his work had just changed and we weren't aware of all of the changes until after the bill from the emergency room. We had to pay a 350.00 deductible plus 175 for each test run that night. Then we had to have an MRI with sedation done and that was another 175.00. The final costs last year out of pocket was close to 5,000.00 due to ENT surgery and further seizure testing. This year has been about the same way. We keep having to have his EEGS redone ever so often to see if he is still having seizure activity. We had to make another trip to the ER by ambulance due to him having a seizure, stopped breathing and turned blue. Last time I checked we did not qualify for our states ALLKids program unless we voluntarily drop his insurance for 3 months and we can not take that risk. We are a one income family because I don't feel comfortable with him going to daycare with seizures. Are there any other options for insurance or any type of assistance for families that have children with seizures? Thanks in advance.

Re: Overwhelmed by doctor bills wwyd?
 

Hey, we are in Alabama as well. I looked up Children's Rehabilitation services to see if seizures by themselves was a covered condition. I couldn't find the eligibility requirements so you may have to contact them to find out. http://www.rehab.state.al.us/individ...vice/about-crs My son has been a client there for 4 years but honestly with his Medicaid we mainly use private doctors and therapists. The only thing we do is consult a nutritionist by telephone there once every 18 months. They certainly offer more services then we use though so definitely worth checking into.

Thank you so much. I will look into that.

Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using DS Forum

Re: Overwhelmed by doctor bills wwyd?
 

I don't know if you tried this already, but many times hospital bills have a financial aid application on the back of the bills. The worst they can say is no. We don't qualify for it through one children's hospital, BUT get our bills 100% paid for by a different children's hospital and so it varies a lot. Another hospital we go to, has a sliding scale for financial aid... depending on your bill they will pay anywhere from 10-100%. So the requirements are all different between different hospitals. Worth a shot!

Re: Overwhelmed by doctor bills wwyd?
 

:hugs:

My DS's medical bills for his first year of life totaled more than the cost of our house in suburban DC. He is the most expensive thing we will ever own. I thank God for excellent health insurance or we probably would have lost everything. Sorry I don't have advice, but you're in my prayers.

Re: Overwhelmed by doctor bills wwyd?
 

I'm sorry Mama! You shouldn't have to be stressing about this on top of the stress of your son's health. I really don't have any advice other than I know that hospitals are usually happy if you can at least pay SOMETHING. Like $50 a month. If you can set it up to autodraft from your account, you shouldn't be getting any calls from them. That has always been my experience when dealing with medical bills.

Re: Overwhelmed by doctor bills wwyd?
 

I've found this to be true as well. Like another PP said, we could have paid for our house outright for what it cost to get DS through his first year of life, maybe plus some. We just lost insurance coverage for my DS's therapy...if we paid for it out of pocket at the rate he normally goes (twice a week), plus the cost of his medical formula, it would be MORE than our house payment. We have been investigating every option available to us for assistance and have fallen short. So I know the position you're in, and it's hard to have to balance the health care of your children vs. the financial strain it causes. :( There is a program in IL that is called DSCC (Dept of Specialized Care for Children) that assists with the costs of medically eligible kids, including expenses such as gas to and from hospitals/doctor visits and hotel, and I know that seizures/neurological impairements are covered. I wonder if there is a similar program in your state? Do you have a pediatrician you can ask, or someone like an Early Intervention coordinator? They are usually willing to at least give you some contact info. :hugs: Good luck and I hope your son is doing ok!