Coping with the Cost of Health Care: 4 Tips for Family Caregivers
By Allison Silvers, MBA
Caring for someone with a serious illness is hard enough. On top of that, figuring out how to pay the endless medical bills can be stressful and overwhelming. We hope these four tips help you find new ways to deal with the financial burden of living with a serious illness.
1. Learn About and Enroll in All Benefits and Entitlements
National, state, and local governments all have programs to help people when bills are piling up. For example, there are:
- State and federal tax credits
- Programs that help with health insurance payments
- Benefits for veterans and their spouses
- Benefits for people with disabilities
- In-home services for adultos mayores
Some hospitals work with lawyers or government programs in what’s called “Medical-Legal Partnerships” to help patients understand and apply for, and/or get new benefits. Even if your local hospital doesn’t offer this type of partnership, a medical social worker can support your family with this process.
I once met three sisters who took turns caring for their father and had to quit their jobs. They didn’t know enough about Medicaid rules and thought that Medicaid was just a “yes” or a “no”—they didn’t know that in some states and some circumstances, there’s also an “it depends.” Once they learned more about the rules, and understood how their father could get Medicaid benefits, they worked with a social worker and helped him apply. He was approved for full-time in-home help. This meant that his daughters were able to return to work.
That said, make sure to find out all the details about possible benefits from your health care team, and do not rely on friends or the internet.
2. Pay Attention to Health Care Prices and Bills
Hospitals can charge very different prices for the same procedure. By law, they must post their prices and give you a cost estimate before you get care, but sometimes this information is hard to find. If your family has a deductible or has to pay a part of the bill (most of us do!), take time to compare prices in your area before the procedure is done. It can save you money. To get started, FAIRHealth is a helpful website that shares information on costs for many common procedures.
You also have rights that protect your family from “surprise bills.” These happen when someone accidentally gets a service that is not in their insurance network. This happens fairly often, most commonly during emergency room visits, ambulance rides, or for services like X-rays and other scans. A law called the No Surprises Act (passed in 2022) helps protect you from these unexpected bills, but sadly, too many families still get those bills. Make sure you’re aware of these rights, and question any bill that insurance doesn’t pay.
3. Talk to the HR Department About Changes to Health Coverage
If the person you care for gets health insurance through their job (or a former job, or your job), it’s important to speak to someone in the human resources department (HR)—sometimes called People Operations or Talent Management. They may be able to make changes to the health care coverage, such as agreeing to pay for something that the insurance company will not pay for, even after you get a denial. While this is not a guarantee, talking about your family’s needs and asking for help from the HR department is always worth a try.
The HR team may also be aware of resources in your community that might be helpful. And here are more tips on what to do if insurance doesn’t approve something (called a “denial”).
4. Talk to the Doctor
Most doctors are willing to help patients and families figure out what to do when they have challenges with the cost of care. Also, many doctors work with other staff, including social workers, navigators, and care managers, who can help you find solutions to a wide range of problems. So, asking the doctor may also lead you to new helpers and ideas. Also, some doctor’s offices may have samples of medications to give to patients during times of need.
A great place to start is the palliative care team, if the person living with serious illness is under their care. The palliative care team is there to not only help with symptoms, but also to support family caregivers and relieve stressors.
El resultado final
Managing bills while providing care for someone with serious illness is very hard. But you don’t need to do it alone—there are people and services in your corner to help you. Need somewhere to start? Check out the National Patient Advocate Foundation (NPAF) y nuestro recent blog post that includes a list of nonprofits that offer financial help.
¿Qué son los cuidados paliativos?
Cuidados paliativos Es atención médica especializada para personas que viven con una enfermedad grave. Este tipo de atención se centra en el alivio de los síntomas y el estrés propios de una enfermedad grave. El objetivo es mejorar la calidad de vida tanto del paciente como de su familia. Los cuidados paliativos son proporcionados por un equipo especialmente capacitado de médicos, enfermeras, trabajadores sociales, capellanes y otros especialistas que trabajan en conjunto con sus otros médicos para brindar un apoyo adicional. Son apropiados a cualquier edad y en cualquier etapa de una enfermedad grave, y pueden brindarse junto con tratamientos curativos.
Acerca de GetPalliativeCare.org
ObtengaCuidadosPaliativos.org is an online resource for patients and families that focuses on providing information on palliative care (and other ways to support people living with serious illness) from the point of diagnosis. At GetPalliativeCare.org, you can take a cuestionario corto to see whether the person you are caring for could benefit from palliative care and encontrar un proveedor cercano. El sitio es proporcionado por el Centro para Avances en Cuidados Paliativos.
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