@Anonymous wrote:
My husaband is epileptic, his condition is not entirely controlled by medicine and at this point his neurologist wants him to start going to a specialist to be evaluated for surgery. Nothing is set in stone yet, he's been reffered but we haven't been contacted by the clinic.
The first thing he said was, "We can't afford this,", but I pointed out to him the other option is to start applying for disability, because they can't just keep piling on more meds.
The way I'm reading this, you actually have two different circumstances,both of which could be expensive.
There's the current situation whereby your husband's condition is not entirely controlled by medicine. You have those expenses that you're currently dealing with, and I'm familiar with how expensive some specialty medications can be. Then you also have the process of going through the testing/evaluations to see if your husband is a candidate for surgery. As you pointed out, these diagnostic tests can be expensive.
The 2nd issue you have is, if the diagnostics come back and there's a recommendation for surgery, you're going to have those expenses, above and beyond the expenses of getting to that point. Depending on the type of surgery, it can be cost prohibitive sometimes. There are factors such as what area of the country you're in (some places are less costly than others), and the expertise of the Doctor(s) involved.
There have been some good suggestions. For a clarification, if you have a HSA (health savings account), check the terms and conditions for making a withdrawal. I suggest this, because there can be limitations. For example, I have/had an HSA, but could not access it until I retired from my employment. The HSA helped pay for my medical premiums under COBRA for coverage continuation.
Rather than consider a withdrawal from any 401(k) you may have, if it's available, look into maybe taking out a loan against your 401(k). Depending on the plan, you may be able to take a loan of up to 50% of the value of 401(k). With this type of loan you're paying yourself back. That said, given the current market conditions and wild fluctuations, this may not be a viable option.
If surgery is indicated, consider as someone suggested, going out of the country for surgery. Even with the cost of airfare and temporary housing, it can be substantially cheaper to do so. As an example, a few years back I had to have a back surgery procedure done. The cost estimate was $50-80K for the surgery and the final cost was over $70K. Fortunately for me, my insurance covered the surgery, but even so, my out-of-pocket cost was ~$3500. I did in fact look into going abroad for the surgery and found that surgery could be done in India for ~$15K. Airfare and hospitalisation would have added perhaps another $5-$10K to the cost, but that's well under the $70K it turned out to be. There are other locations one can choose, and don't get caught up in the question about the level of care. Even though we like to believe that our healthcare system is the best in the world, the reality is, it's not.
Also as suggested, if you get to the point of your husband needing surgery, talk to the hospitals and doctors involved about financing options. There's always options, and alternatives. Same thing with specialty medications. Check with manufacturers to see if they offer some sort of assistance plan. (There are commercials on TV where manufacturer AstraZeneca has assistance plans for some of their medications). Also, don't rule out some websites such as GoFundMe to set up a donation site to solicit help in covering the costs of surgery.
You also mentioned filing for disability. Presumably, you're referring to Social Security Disability? Or some sort of private disability? If it's SSDI, you may want to consult with an attorney who specialises in this. They can assist in getting through the process in a more streamlined manner than trying to go it alone. Initial consultations are usually free, or at significantly reduced cost, and the expense could well be worth it for peace of mind in getting through the process.
If you have private disability available, it can be a much easier process and far less confrontational than SSDI. I know. I went through a process such as this. It's all a matter fo following instructions exactly, doing what they ask of you exactly, and remember what the goal is...to get the disability claim approved. Mine took approximately 4 months to complete, the company I dealt with was compassionate and looking out for my interests, and in the end when the disabilty was granted, it was retroactive to the date that I retired and filed.
Best of luck to you and your husband as you go forward with this.
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