Paying the Doctor's Bill

When I was a kid and someone was fighting, or maybe if they threatened to hurt us, it was common to hear this retort, "You'll have to pay the doctor's bill." 

Thinking about that now, it's a clear giveaway that my neighborhood was made of lower middle-class working families. What other kids would think that having to pay a bill was a worthy threat? And a doctor's bill, no less. 

Maybe we had osmosed the worries of our parents: how were they going to pay the doctor's bills that come with raising a bunch of kids? 

Today we have returned to that worry: how in the heck is anyone going to pay for healthcare and how, indeed will we pay for the high cost of cancer?

Money talk? Yes there are taboos in CancerLand and money is one of them. 

Many of us have experienced people turning away from us because they don’t know how to talk about, or ask about, our loved one’s cancer.

But money is the place where most of us turn away. It’s a different kind of uncomfortable. We are reluctant to ask about prices, costs, expenses and who is willing to bluntly ask, "Can we afford this?” when the conversation is about a cancer diagnosis.

So, I was very happy to see a helpful document in Sunday's New York Times. The article was called, "A Financial Bill of Rights for Patients" and it details--in plain English was you can expect, ask for, and stand your ground to receive in the financial realm of medical/hospital care.

I'm putting the link below and you do want to read and print out the one page document--put a copy in your caregiver notebook/totebag.

There are nine (9) Financial Rights and they are:

The Right to an itemized bill--in plain English

The Right to no surprise bills

The Right to accurate info about providers in the plan

The Right to a stable network (this was big news to me!)

The Right to be informed of conflicts of interest

The Right to know in advance of facilities fees

The Right to see a price list for procedures

The Right to know about cheaper options

The Right to know your bill will not be sent to collections!

Lots of good stuff here--and in plain English. 

This is def a post--and a link to send to all the caregivers you know. We have so much to worry about everyday. Lets help each other lower the financial stresses.

Here's the link: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/27/opinion/sunday/patients-rights-hospitals-health-care.html

The Cost of Cancer

Money--perhaps the most taboo subject culturally. Yes, we only talk to some friends about our sex life, and maybe with very close friends, we talk about our faith life or our prayer life--that is such intimacy, isn't it? But the thing we share the least? Our financial lives.

Just think about that. Think of three of your really close friends. You may know who is having sex and who isn't anymore, and occasionally who likes what. But do you know how much money your friends make? or their partners make? or how deep their debt is? Who has family help? You might guess at those things but rarely do we know financial details of our friend's lives.

This is also true in CancerLand. And that can be devastating. The cost of cancer  care is steep. Even with insurance the copays can break a family. And when cancer goes on and on--as it does more and more often now--the cost can use all resources including savings and retirement funds.

This is something worth thinking about--and talking about. But you'll see in the attached article that many folks worry about talking about money with their doctors because they fear changes to the quality of their care.

Click on the link below to read more. Share this post with friends who have cancer or who care for those who do. Let's open this last box of secrets in CancerLand. Let's reduce the fear and anxiety around money that is an additional cost and worry.

http://psychcentral.com/news/2014/12/26/financial-burden-of-cancer-care-lowers-patients-quality-of-life/79084.html