Donation protected
Hello everyone. This gofundme is for a medical situation that started in 2018, is still ongoing, and has created a financial emergency at this point. Given the amount I'm asking for, I thought it was important to include documentation of the bills I'm facing (see photos below) as well as a detailed explanation:
In 2018 I needed surgery to correct a deviated septum, after being sick for six months in a row, on a low monthly/high deductible health insurance plan that I had never needed prior to this incident. The deductible was $6000, and I was only able to pay it by nearly maxing out my credit card.
In 2019 I had a lumbar nerve ablation done to relieve some severe lower back pain. It came completely out of nowhere, was not work-related, not the result of an injury, and wasn't responding to any other treatment. The ablation procedure didn't work either, so that new $6000 of credit card debt was wasted money. If you're wondering why I didn't upgrade my health insurance in the previous year, that was entirely my fault. I was just really hoping there wouldn't be a major incident two years in a row, and I would have a chance to financially recover. Those hopes were crushed.
Then 2020 happened. Last year I ended up needing a literal mouthful of fillings, multiple surfaces on almost every tooth. This was $4000 out of pocket, even with dental insurance, because of the sheer volume of work that needed done. So my credit card took another beating, and I finally upgraded my health insurance at that point. Now I'm on the highest monthly/lowest deductible plan my employer offers, and it's definitely helping, but the damage is done.
This year the back issue got much worse. All initial forms of treatment did nothing, so a neurosurgeon ordered an MRI, and insurance refused to cover it. That left me with the $2000 cost of the imaging, which is one of the bills in the Advent Health screen shots below. And you will notice in those photos, all of the balances are on a payment plan. The issue is, even with that plan in place, new bills are being generated much faster than the old ones are being paid off. Case in point, the smaller numbers are things that I've been paying on for two years and haven't finished yet. And I just had a second nerve ablation for my back. So the amount I owe is only going to go up unless there's a major intervention, and that's why I made this gofundme.
Finally, there is also a non-medical financial situation: My car is needing some expensive repairs, and normally I wouldn't be worried enough to ask for help. But with the mountain of hospital bills only getting larger, I am very concerned at this point. Thank you all for any donation you can make, and please share this fundraiser with all of your friends.
In 2018 I needed surgery to correct a deviated septum, after being sick for six months in a row, on a low monthly/high deductible health insurance plan that I had never needed prior to this incident. The deductible was $6000, and I was only able to pay it by nearly maxing out my credit card.
In 2019 I had a lumbar nerve ablation done to relieve some severe lower back pain. It came completely out of nowhere, was not work-related, not the result of an injury, and wasn't responding to any other treatment. The ablation procedure didn't work either, so that new $6000 of credit card debt was wasted money. If you're wondering why I didn't upgrade my health insurance in the previous year, that was entirely my fault. I was just really hoping there wouldn't be a major incident two years in a row, and I would have a chance to financially recover. Those hopes were crushed.
Then 2020 happened. Last year I ended up needing a literal mouthful of fillings, multiple surfaces on almost every tooth. This was $4000 out of pocket, even with dental insurance, because of the sheer volume of work that needed done. So my credit card took another beating, and I finally upgraded my health insurance at that point. Now I'm on the highest monthly/lowest deductible plan my employer offers, and it's definitely helping, but the damage is done.
This year the back issue got much worse. All initial forms of treatment did nothing, so a neurosurgeon ordered an MRI, and insurance refused to cover it. That left me with the $2000 cost of the imaging, which is one of the bills in the Advent Health screen shots below. And you will notice in those photos, all of the balances are on a payment plan. The issue is, even with that plan in place, new bills are being generated much faster than the old ones are being paid off. Case in point, the smaller numbers are things that I've been paying on for two years and haven't finished yet. And I just had a second nerve ablation for my back. So the amount I owe is only going to go up unless there's a major intervention, and that's why I made this gofundme.
Finally, there is also a non-medical financial situation: My car is needing some expensive repairs, and normally I wouldn't be worried enough to ask for help. But with the mountain of hospital bills only getting larger, I am very concerned at this point. Thank you all for any donation you can make, and please share this fundraiser with all of your friends.
Organizer
Joseph Wilhelm
Organizer
Kansas City, MO