1. Cancer is expensive!
2. Thank God we have insurance!
And while I'm so very thankful we have good insurance, we still have pay our 20% along with our annual deductible...which adds up to a really big chunk of change.
Out of curiosity, I pulled up all of the EOBs since I was diagnosed last June. The grand total (insert your own drumroll here) to date is $79,527.02! That's a whopping amount of medical charges and that's not all inclusive. That total doesn't include medications or incidental expenses. 20% of $79,527.02 is $15,905.40! And when you're living on one income (of well under $40,000 a year) things are pretty tight. So what do you do?
Catastrophic illnesses are never planned...they usually sneak up on you and rear their ugly heads when least expected. Many people lose their entire life savings over one devastating illness and others either go into huge amounts of debt or even face bankruptcy. And who needs the trauma of a mountain of medical debt on top of a debilitating illness...no one!
So what's a person to do? Many hospitals offer assistance for medical tests that cost exorbitant amounts but knowing who to contact for help is another story. The financial office doesn't readily make these programs known. It's up to the patient to ask about them. Some programs are based on income and others are solely based on need.
I'm sad to say my medical expenses, as they relate to cancer, are far from over. Every few months I have a visit scheduled with some sort of "-ologist" and many tests and scans are down the road. I can't spend all my time focusing on the financial end of things because if I did, I'm make myself a nervous wreck. All I can do is trust that God will provide. He always has and I know, He always will.
It could be worse! We could have no insurance whatsoever and be at risk of losing our home. I could be dead! I know that was a silly statement, but it's true! I'm thankful to be alive and doing well for the moment.
Yes, we have a mountain of medical bills and I don't know how we're going to pay our part but that's okay. I know God's got this! He cares about every single thing that affects our lives, even medical bills.
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