Support Sal's Battle with Parkinson's Complications

My husband went into the hospital on February 9th for a Deep Brain Surgery (DBS) procedure in hopes of improving his ability to walk, due to rigidity caused by Parkinsons. He was already starting to have other symptoms which included swallowing, speech and memory issues.

After his surgery the doctor explained that he could experience confusion and that would be a normal response. That “normal” response turned into a nightmare. and our lives upside down! His “confusion” made him violent and ended in the neurology ICU for about 2.5 months. He was heavily sedated which caused heart issues, intubation, pneumonia, covid, kidney and many other complications. Once he recovered somewhat from all of this, he was then moved out of ICU and into a regular room. From there he was moved to a Critical Care Hospital in hopes of getting him well enough to get speech, occupational and physical therapy as he was rendered unable to speak, eat or walk. Sal is now at a skilled nursing facility on the West side of El Paso, closer to home.

As if this trauma wasn’t bad enough, our situation only got worse.

After having moved him twice from one facility to another (where I found weren’t giving him the care he really needed) I found out, after the fact, that the facility he’s in now does not have a contract with my secondary insurance and we have been incurring $200 a day co-pays. They did not explain this BEFORE admission. After being there 10 days, they explained that medicare only covers 20 days at nursing facilities at 100% and that they don’t have a contract with either his secondary nor VA benefits!! So now I'm having to pay the 20% not covered by medicare and $200 per day.

Now I know what people talk about when they say our health system is broken. We’ve been paying for this secondary insurance which is very reputable and have never had any problems getting treatments anywhere! As I looked this up I read that facilities have what is known as “Surprise Billing” and have the right not to contract with whatever company they choose. I have been trying to find a place where they will accept medicare, secondary and VA benefits and it appears that Ambrosio Guillen is that place. This place will require a large deposit and monthly fees approximately $500 or more.

It is for this reason that I reach out to friends and family for help. I still have not received all the final costs, but I'm still liable for the balance plus the $200 per day. I will need additional funds to continue his care; as with this disease there is no cure.

I thank you all in advance for your help and ask that you continue praying for him as his health has taken so much from the man I married. It is a devastating disease and nothing prepared us for this. I feel for all the elderly in these facilities who are going through this alone, no family visits, and not getting the help they so badly need; pray for them as well.

Rose Helen Baquera