What can someone who is self-employed and needs surgery do to get hospital bill paid. Has no hospital insuranc

Question

I have a friend who is self-employed as a hairdresser. She needs surgery on her shoulder. She has no hospital insurance. She has talked to medicaid and vocational rehab people in our town. And they say no services are offered to people of her problems. They tell her she's to young for medicaid, no children in the home, etc. There has to be some help from the state of North Carolina for people in this kind of situation.

Answer 1

Depending upon income Medicaid is the only solution unless she can go on a payment plan....The hospital may negotiate IF its medically necessary....Another alternative is that she may be able to convince her employer to get a group health insurance plan. SOME companies actually will cover 1099 employees....Have her talk to an insurance agent to see if that is a possibility....

Good luck to her....

Answer 2

Let me start by saying that I don't think you are getting the whole story here. I have never heard of age being a factor in recieving Medicaid. She may have made too much money last year to qualify for Medicaid. I wouldn't however press her on that issue because there may be something that she's too embarrassed to tell you about and if she doesn't want you knowing, she will probably get pist if you press her on that. With that said, she can call the hospital. A lot of hospitals have a charity fund or a bed fund for people who need surgery and can't afford it. I don't exactly know what the qualifications for that are, but it's something for her to look into. Other than that, since we are at year's end and she does have an injury, she may not have worked enough this year (2006) to make any money and she can always re apply for Medicaid since we will shortly be going into a new year. Good Luck!

Answer 3

Some states do have an age requirement for Meicaid benefits. NC might be one of them.

Just as a side note, not only will she have the hospital bill to deal with but, your friend may also have several physician bills to deal with. Not all hospitals bill for the docotrs that are on staff. Any payment arrangement and/or financial assistance she gets from the hospital may not cover the actual doctors that are involved. Make sure she looks into this as well. The physicians I am referring to would be mainly(but not limited too) the Surgeon, Anesthesiologist, Radiologist.....

Answer 4

She can probably make arrangements with the hospital, for a payment plan with the billing departmetn.

She should call the hospital, soon as possible, to get the paperwork started, so she doesn't have to deal with this as her surgery date approaches.

Answer 5

Apply for disability insurance informing them you got injured on the job as a hairdresser. Otherwise private health insurance for the self employed.

Answer 6

I am sure that she can make arrangements at the hospital for a monthly payment that she can afford. Good luck.

Answer 7

Go straight to ebay and sell some of your stuff and then help sell other people's stuff for commission and then teach how to sell on eBay...