Help Butch’s Family: Remaining Costs, Green Burial

On Tuesday, February 27th, my dad, Butch, was admitted into the McKay-Dee ICU after suffering traumatic complications from a bicycling accident he experienced earlier that month. The initial accident resulted in a separated shoulder, broken ribs, and a fractured sternum which made it feel nearly impossible just to breathe. After visits to the ER and local clinic following the accident, he was released with advice to rest and manage his pain as best as possible.

Unfortunately, tests and scans of his injuries did not spot other underlying issues in time, and on the morning of the 27th my dad suffered septic shock which resulted in cardiac arrest. Luckily, his friends, Greg and Natalie, were there checking on him and were able to call 911 in time for paramedics to give him the life-saving care he so desperately needed. While the compressions given by paramedics ultimately saved his life, and we are incredibly grateful that they did, he suffered even more damage to his already fractured sternum. He has been fighting hard in the ICU ever since despite repeated intubations, multiple internal infections which are difficult to treat, and other complications as a result of his injuries and the cardiac arrest.

Because of the many complications and layers to his injuries, discharging him from the ICU has not been possible. Once he is released, he will be moved to a long-term acute-care (LTAC) facility as he works toward regaining his strength and healing from his injuries.

Everyone who knows my dad knows how damn tough he is. He's incredibly strong-willed, and if anyone can get through this, he can. Even the doctor who saw him admitted said how amazed he was that my dad is still fighting. He isn't able to communicate much, but he does let us know that he is trying.

We have a lot of unanswered questions still in terms of how much this extended stay in the ICU will cost, and even more questions about the cost of his long-term care. There is no way for us to know how long he will be in the ICU or the LTAC facility, and how much insurance will cover or whether he will receive some sort of disability or Medicaid is unknown.

Truly, I don't even want to be thinking about finances at a time like this, but it's impossible not to. I decided to start with an estimate for our initial goal based on his monthly expenses and the possible cost of the LTAC facility after 12 months with Medicaid assistance, and this number will likely change as we discover more about what sort of financial aid he'll receive for his stay in the ICU, when he'll be discharged from the ICU, and when we can expect to see him discharged from the LTAC facility. I want to avoid going into too much detail about the complications my dad is experiencing mostly out of allowing him to retain some sort of privacy. Those close to him know how he can be about these things, and I want to respect that tendency. I will say that not a day goes by without some sort of procedure, test, sample, therapy, and/or treatment, and some of these will continue when he moves on to LTAC. Please scroll to the bottom for a very rough breakdown of estimated costs for one year of expenses plus LTAC.

I've been incredibly humbled and overwhelmed by the support of our family, as well as his friends and community. He truly has such an amazing village, and he wouldn't be here today without them. Thank you to everyone who has contributed in whatever way you can.

Estimated monthly expenses: $1400 ($16,800/year)

Average cost of uncompensated care after Medicare reimbursement from a 6-month hospital stay: $16,002 (estimate based on this article)

Estimated cost for 1 year of expenses plus 1 year of LTAC: $48,804*

*Please note, these are estimates only, and do not consider any possible charges from his stay in the ICU. We also do not know how long he will be in LTAC, and any donations may be used for other medical care (e.g., ICU stay, follow-up appointments, long-term care facility, physical therapy, etc.). This is only based on a very limited understanding of what his care might look like.