Donation websites?

I recently had some health issues, and had to be hospitalized. I'm now on meds which will hopefully prevent anything from getting worse, and thank god I have insurance, but I've still accrued over $3,000 dollars worth of debt, plus the ongoing cost of meds, and treatment.

Ugh.

I just have no idea how to afford any of this without assistance. My family lives paycheck to paycheck, and basically I'm just a mess thinking about how I'm going to pay for this.

So I'm wondering if anyone has ever set up a page through a donation website? Was it worth doing? If so, do you recommend a particular site? Any other ideas?

I'm not sure I could do it. As I tend to be a private person. I'm not sure if I could ask people I know for help. I don't know. There's also some amount of stigma, and sharing my health situation would be hard- but if I could get some help, maybe it would be worth it? I'm conflicted.

Thank you.

PS: Sorry if this post brings up bad memories. If you want to share but would rather keep it private, feel free to PM me.

I have no experince with donation websites but I do with medical debt. Have you discussed a payment plan with the medical facility involved?

Not yet, I haven't received the bill yet. I'm not really sure what my options are, but I definitely can't pay it in full so I'll have to go with a payment plan.

PS: I'm in college and not prepared to be an adult like this.

Is there any kind of craft you could make to sort of sell or give away with donations? That might help ease your fears about the stigma associated with donations. At least you would be giving people who donated money something in return. Make a bracelet, draw a picture, whatever you think you would be able to sell.

I'm not experienced with donation websites, so I can't help you there. But I know a lot of communities will get behind people and help them raise money. Raffles, bake sales, any kind of fundraiser. It will depend on what your problem is, you might be able to get help from an organization that is dedicated to your specific issue.

Although it might be hard to open up about what's going on, I think a lot of people would be hesitant to donate for something as vague as "I have some health issues." But that is purely up to you to disclose what you want. Maybe making your condition known, people would be willing to support you for a certain cause.

As soon as you get the bill I would call the medical facility and we up a plan. Explain that you want to pay the bill but cannot do so in full, and work out some payments with them. Honestly, not many people can just pay a $3000 medical bill in full in one shot. I would be shocked if they wouldn't work with you.

Is the hospital a for-profit or not-for-profit? My mom was hospitalized for over a week several years ago, and she was uninsured at the time. When they talked to the billing department about the situation, they forgave the entire bill. All of it.

This ^

Most hospitals have some form of charity care. Even the for profit ones, because they get tax deductions for it.

I got a $550 bill in the ER one time as a college student. Ended up in the for profit hospital vs. the non profit one, but they still forgave half of it. Also, they will work out payment plans with people. I just spent the past 2 years paying off a $5000 bill from when my son was born. There's another medical I'm paying off and they're only charging me $10 a month, even though the balance is substantially higher than that. When I can afford it I do put more $$ toward it for that month, just to get the balance down though.

Wow, thanks for the tips. It's a for-profit, but I will definitely work out a payment plan and ask if there is some form of charity care.

Pay however much you can when the bill comes. Paying any amount will at least keep it from going to collections.

Definitely absolutely and totally this. If you just talk to the hospital and communicate with them about your situation, even if it's "all I can pay is $15 a month, but I WILL pay it every month" - they will work with you.