Hi Sam! I've noticed that a lot of your RFM entries involve people overwhelmed by medical bills. I thought it might be beneficial for people to know that some hospitals will offer financial assistance through their foundation which can dramatically lower outstanding bills. There is a bit of paperwork that needs to be collected in order to prove the hardship, but if they can get a friend or advocate to assist with this while the patient works on healing, it can make a huge difference. :)
I don’t normally post ask-sent responses to asks but this was general info and I think it’s good to know. Most hospitals do have something like the Cook County Limit of Liability Office (the LOL Office, which never fails to amuse me) where especially if you go in through the emergency room, you can apply to be charged on a sliding scale.
I think probably most people do what they can to get funding aid, and that the people on RFM face bills because for one reason or another they’ve fallen through the cracks (they make just too much to qualify, the state they’re in is fucked up, their particular condition disqualifies them) but it’s always good to inquire. Usually the foundations can be found via a link from the hospital’s website or by googling; they won’t always come to you voluntarily.
