I have been unemployed for four out of the past six months. My husband makes a decent living, but money is still very tight. It has only been in the last month that I have been able to find employment. I work two part-time jobs and am on the hunt for a third one. I wouldn't need a third if it weren't for the medical expenses that the insurance company does not cover. This brings me to my little story.
I have an outstanding medical bill at the local hospital for some blood tests and iron infusions. It wasn't my most expensive visit to date, but with my recent unemployment, it was impossible to pay it off in one chunk. No payment of any kind had been made on it since we received it over a month ago, like I said, money was tight. Well, last week I got a call from their billing department saying that I needed to pay something on it or they would have to turn it over to collections. So, thanks to my recent employment, I was able to at least make a small payment towards the overall balance on the account. I thanked the person on the phone, hung up and went about my day. (I was at work while all this is happening, fyi) Not ten minutes later, my cell phone rings. It is the hospital again. I figured that maybe they had a few more questions or maybe the debit card over the phone didn't go through. Nope. It was the hospital's fundraising department. They were very hopeful that I would be able to make a donation so that their hospital could keep providing quality healthcare to the community. She wanted $100. To some people this may not seem like a lot, but to someone with a chronic medical condition and little in the bank, it is a lot. I said no. She then proceeded to ask me for $75. I said no. $50. No. Then she asked if she could put me down for $35 two months from now. By this time I was trying to control the pressure of my eyeballs so that they would not pop out of my head and get eye juice all over my computer screen. I wanted to tell this woman off, but I was at work and everyone in the office can hear me speak on the telephone. I simply said no and hung up.
I could not believe that they had the balls to contact a patient that has recurring visits and is struggling to pay their very expensive medical bills. I'm sure the person on the phone had no idea about my account, but I was just pissed. I've dealt with insurance companies and monthly medical bills that number into the hundreds of thousands of dollars and here is an institution trying to squeeze out the last remaining drops from me. I just couldn't believe it. It made me feel embarrassed. I contacted the hospital via their Facebook page. The exchange went as follows:
Me: Just writing to tell you that I just got off the phone with one of your representatives and they were asking me to donate money. In most cases this would not upset me, but in this case it did. I am a frequent visitor to St. Luke's as I have medical issues that require a lot of attention. Therefore, I receive bills from you on a regular basis which can be difficult to pay at times. You might want to make sure not to call your patients that struggle to pay their very expensive medical bills to try and squeeze them for and additional handout.
Them: Please accept a heartfelt apology for the ill-placed call. You are absolutely right, and I appreciate you bringing this to our attention. I will pass your comments on to the appropriate hospital leaders to correct. Thank you for being a loyal St. Lukes patient.
My point to this story is this: Stand up for yourselves. If you do, you will get results. You are not just a patient or an ID bracelet. You are a person, and if you have struggled with Crohn's, you are my favorite person. Be strong and stay strong.
Love,
The Crohn's Ranger
