Financial problems

[TEXAN]

My husband has had ALS since September 2011. We have been married for 32 years. My son and I both have quit our jobs to care for him. We love him dearly and will do and have done anything and everything for him. He is wheelchair bound, has a feeding tube, and is wearing his BIPAP at night and some during the day. We are new to this forum but I have not seen anyone speak of any financial help.
The stress of trying to get all the bills paid, the 20% that medicare does not pay, and trying to shield some of the stress off of him is exhausting. We have blown through our savings, refinanced, sold things, borrowed from family and are trying desperately to downsize. It takes forever to go through our stuff because his needs are 24 7.
We are financially devastated and don't know where to turn. Any suggestions?

 

[gooseberry]

Is he a vet? The va can provide a lot of help. If he isn't, then check out your local mda clinic or alsa chapter. They both have equipment to lend grants for assistance thru alsa etc.

 

[Atsugi]

Perhaps you should look into Medicaid. Will they cover the same things at 100%?

 

[lgelb]

If your husband gets SSI, he should be eligible for Medicaid in Texas. If he doesn't you might want to apply for SSI if he qualifies. Also, at your next opportunity, I would consider a Medicare Advantage plan, even though it would entail a monthly premium, because the benefits are richer and more predictable, and you can deal w/ a local network. With ALS, it should more than pay for itself. The Medicare site has a plan finder by zip code.

Not having access to either SSI or 'caid (my husband never worked enough to qualify due to another disease), we too blew through our savings, tapped our family and my son and I left jobs also-- so I know how hard it is. I see there are some pre-nursing and nursing programs in your area so you might want to do what we did -- hired some students to help out so I could do some freelance work at home (or perhaps downsizing work in your case). I won't pretend it was much. We are now in post-mortem downsizing mode, having never managed that while my husband was alive. That said, copays and deductibles weren't really the issue, since he didn't use much reimbursable care, and there are ways to minimize those, MA being one, but perhaps you are referring to continuing payments. Is there anything specific big ticket and medical that you are paying for? But others are right about reaching out to the ALSA, MDA and perhaps Texas' AT program.

 

[skipper66]

I don't know if it would help you out or not. But, is there anyway somebody could put on a benefit for you? We live in a small town and they hold quite a few for people with serious illnesses. They have raffles and things that they collect through donations. Sometimes, certain churches put them on. I would check into medicaid as well. Hugs, Kim

 

[MaxEidswick]

also check with our alsa and mda ...

 

[TEXAN]

Thank you all so much. Great ideas. At this stage of his disease, he can't be left alone. We plan to do so much in a day but we never get to it. (I am sure ya'll can relate)
I will continue to attempt to carry out my old and new plans but more than likely continue to put out fires as they appear.

 

[gooseberry]

Email works wonders....