Susan's Medical Bills
Donation protected
I've been drowning in medical bills the last six years, and after yet another layoff two years ago and subsequent early retirement, I've depleted my savings and get constantly derailed by minor emergencies. Over a third of my monthly income goes to various debits paying down outstanding medical bills and insurance premiums.
The last two years I paid out of pocket $8,896 for copays, deductibles, and insurance premiums (asthma problems and mess, hip replacement, physical therapy, a crown on a broken tooth, etc). In the four years prior to that I paid around $6-8K for five major eye surgeries (it wasn't quite enough to declare on my taxes so I don't have a definite figure). This has all left me with no funds to pay for car repairs, getting my furnace fixed … the list goes on!
I've been having trouble seeing lately, and found out that it isn't a need for a different lens prescription — I need cataract surgery! There will be a small copay, but the big problem will be not being able to drive to work for a month until my eye can be remeasured for new eyewear. Unlike most people, I cannot rely on my other eye during this time as the aforementioned major eye surgeries kept me from total blindness in that eye, but the remaining vision is not good enough to allow me to drive, read, or recognize people.
My social security income is enough to cover my mortgage, gas, and electric bills, and my part-time job pays for everything else. So if I can't work, all my insurance, phone, and medical debits will bounce when they hit my bank account. If I don't have cataract surgery, I'll be soon be at the point where I can't see well enough to drive or work, but if I do have it, I won't have the means to pay for any of my fixed expenses … sigh.
Several friends suggested a go-fund-me so I could pay off all my outstanding medical bills. The figure I listed covers old medical bills, plus $1,000 for surgery copay, new glasses, and fixed debits for a month.
The cat picture is for my Kittehs, who are four years overdue for a vet checkup. If I raise more than the funds I need, my Kittehs visit the vet, for which they will not thank me. And anything else will be paid forward because there are so many people I wish I could help.
The last two years I paid out of pocket $8,896 for copays, deductibles, and insurance premiums (asthma problems and mess, hip replacement, physical therapy, a crown on a broken tooth, etc). In the four years prior to that I paid around $6-8K for five major eye surgeries (it wasn't quite enough to declare on my taxes so I don't have a definite figure). This has all left me with no funds to pay for car repairs, getting my furnace fixed … the list goes on!
I've been having trouble seeing lately, and found out that it isn't a need for a different lens prescription — I need cataract surgery! There will be a small copay, but the big problem will be not being able to drive to work for a month until my eye can be remeasured for new eyewear. Unlike most people, I cannot rely on my other eye during this time as the aforementioned major eye surgeries kept me from total blindness in that eye, but the remaining vision is not good enough to allow me to drive, read, or recognize people.
My social security income is enough to cover my mortgage, gas, and electric bills, and my part-time job pays for everything else. So if I can't work, all my insurance, phone, and medical debits will bounce when they hit my bank account. If I don't have cataract surgery, I'll be soon be at the point where I can't see well enough to drive or work, but if I do have it, I won't have the means to pay for any of my fixed expenses … sigh.
Several friends suggested a go-fund-me so I could pay off all my outstanding medical bills. The figure I listed covers old medical bills, plus $1,000 for surgery copay, new glasses, and fixed debits for a month.
The cat picture is for my Kittehs, who are four years overdue for a vet checkup. If I raise more than the funds I need, my Kittehs visit the vet, for which they will not thank me. And anything else will be paid forward because there are so many people I wish I could help.
Organizer
Susan Ahlgren Van Sant
Organizer
Minneapolis, MN
