Literally crying as I type this but first and foremost this isn’t to start a witch hunt about the receptionist or to ask for money. Just because I have no one to talk to.
So basically I’ve been suffering from eye flashes, floaters ( a scary amount of them), blurred vision, and what is basically a curtain on my side vision ( like darkness at the side of my eye).
It was very concerning and has gotten worse and I’m afraid it is retinal detachment.
I cannot afford anything basically- very low income, live with roommates,, by the time my rent is paid I have about $30 dollars and that’s getting food from a local church.
I do work but my work doesn’t give me insurance. I panicked and called around because my boss told me that all practices and hospitals have lines and places for people to go who can’t pay and nobody pays out of pocket if they can’t in MA and you just have to ask and every clinic will say yes.
He also says if my eyes don’t get better he doesn’t know if I can do the job.
So I call around and this medical receptionist or whoever they patched me in to told me I could go to the ER and they’d treat me for sure. I tell her my situation and asks if there’s support for people who can’t pay and she asked why I thought a specialist would just treat me for free.
I apologized and was distressed and told her about my job situation and asked if this means I’d go blind if I didn’t have insurance or some way to cove and she said- well the ER would have to stablize you but that doesn’t mean restore your vision for free but suggested I talk to the hospital staff.
I get she was being blunt and I’m probably overreacting but I’m scared about next steps. I live in MA but don’t know if MassHealth would accept me and have nobody to talk to me about this. My boss promised he’d think about insurance but he says he’s a small business.
I’m under 26 but my parents dropped me because they said insurance for adults should come from employers, not parents.
I could beg to be added back on I guess but best country in the world.
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Please go to the ER or urgent care to be seen. And also, apply for MassHealth as soon as you can. Your income will determine the cost of insurance but you won’t know what coverage you could get if you don’t apply. MassHealth is your state’s Medicaid program so just apply.
I’m sorry that your parents kicked you off before they actually had to. This country is so brainwashed by tying health insurance to employment.
Man, first — I’m really, really sorry you’re going through this.
You are not overreacting.
You’re scared because this is serious, and anyone would be scared in your shoes.
You did everything you were supposed to do. You called around, you asked for help, you explained your situation. That receptionist wasn’t totally wrong about how hospitals work, but she handled it really coldly. It’s not your fault you’re uninsured. It’s not your fault the system makes it this hard to get help. And it’s definitely not your fault for caring about your health.
About your eyes — from what you described (flashes, floaters, dark curtain) — you’re right to treat this as an emergency. Retinal detachment can cause permanent blindness if it’s not treated fast.
You need to go to the ER.
In Massachusetts, you cannot be refused emergency care because you can’t pay.
They have to stabilize you. And with something like this, stabilizing you would mean doing whatever they can to try to save your vision.
Also, in MA, you can usually apply for MassHealth immediately — even from the hospital.
Even if you don
What kind of work do you do? Is getting a better job an option? Did the conversation where the boss said you’d lose your job if you don’t get better happen in writing? If it did, get screenshots and send them to yourself somewhere they can’t be accessed or deleted by your work. Emailing them to your personal email is a good one. It’s not legal for them to threaten you that way. They have to go through the ADA process at the very least. Look for an employment lawyer who has a free consultation and just talk to them about options.
Definitely ask your parents to add you back to their insurance and then do whatever you can as quickly as you can. Medical bills don’t have to be paid right away and you can plan to chip away at those later.
It’s seems like you’re in the US, so look into state, county, and even municipal programs for healthcare. In CA, we have medi-Cal which would let you go to the Dr for free if you meet their requirements, which it sounds like you would.
Good luck, kiddo. This is scary, but don’t give up yet.
Listen to others here as to how to get insurance coverage.
Also the receptionist is not a doctor and has not examined you, so she has no clue about your medical diagnosis.
I am very sorry to hear you are dealing with this. If , and I think you should, go to the ER check and make sure that they have an on call ophthalmologist. Not all hospitals do.
damn – this country has been circling the drain for decades now…
I served with someone that had this issue. She had to spend her days in a dark room or else it got bad I believe she eventually regained her sight.
I served with someone that had this issue. She had to spend her days in a dark room or else it got bad I believe she eventually regained her sight.
This sounds like a detachment. Get to an ER. Worry about payment later. Time is very critical in this.
Also, that receptionist doesn’t have a clue. “Stabilise” in this case is reattachment… usually through cryo or laser and maybe a sceral buckle. Get this done in time and your sight will likely recover
Unfortunately, your parents can’t just add you back on. It doesn’t work like that. You have to have a qualifying life event, or they need to be in their open enrollment period. You should absolutely go to the emergency room, Mass General if you can. In the meantime, please look up how to get on the state insurance exchange. Massachusetts has some of the best coverage in the country. There’s literally nowhere you could go and have a better chance of getting help.
There are resources out here to help. Please go to an ER and you will figure the rest out. “Many hospitals, including Mass General Brigham, have financial assistance policies that offer discounted or free care for patients who meet income and other criteria. These policies are required by the Affordable Care Act” there are resources available to you
Mass Health will absolutely accept you if you’ve got established residency. You get mail at your address? You’re over 18? You’re good. Call em.
I’m so sorry op. Take advantage of being in MA, apply for masshealth and go to the ED. There are patient advocates and others in hospitals who can help you with the application and help your visit get retroactively covered
Please call 211 for local resources! They will tell you how/where to apply for Medicaid & food stamps/SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program). Medicaid will cover your medical needs and SNAP will help with grocery costs. Sending you hugs and hope 💕
you’re not overreacting
you’re in survival mode—and you’re right to be
what’s happening to you is real
and it’s disgusting that a system this broken puts you here begging for your literal eyesight
first move:
you’re not weak for panicking
you’re strong as hell for even picking up the phone
don’t wait
don’t apologize for needing care
you deserve to fight for yourself with everything you have left
Please it’s not worth holding off on!!!!!!! I just had surgery for this a few months ago. I don’t have better advice but your eyesight is precious and it WILL NOT get better unless you get surgery!!!!! This is not something to wait to address and you will regret it for the rest of your life if you go blind
If you go to a low income clinic and tell them you need help applying for medical they can help navigate the process. Make sure you show up prepared with proof of residence, proof of expenses (Rent, utilities, ) and proof of income. Hospitals should also be able to help you with this (In Colorado they do).
Once you can get on the clinics low income plan then you can apply for Masshealth since that usually takes longer to get approved for
As someone who had severe health problems…. Ask to be billed. Work out a payment plan with the hospital after the procedure and if that doesn’t work let it go to collections and work with the collection agency for partial payments or a plan.
I do this frequently.
I hope you are on your way to the ER. I am so sorry that you’re going through this and that the receptionist was (hopefully) having a bad day and was lacking in the empathy department.
Your feelings are valid and you have every right to be absolutely terrified right now. Vision is no joke and it affects your livelihood. Also, you didn’t ask a silly question either. I’ve had specialists who offered sliding scale or discounts / payment plans for low income patients. That receptionist needed a snickers.
As somebody that has gone through a severe retina tear, I’m so sorry. You absolutely need to go to the ER asap, because the longer you wait, the less chance there is for it to be repaired. When you get there and sign in and they ask what’s wrong, tell them you believe you have a retina tear. They will see you almost immediately. When mine happened, I didn’t even have to wait to be seen. Worry about the bill later. Good luck!
Go to the ER. While you’re there, ask them if a social worker can help you apply for Medicaid.
This happened to me last year. Exactly same symptoms. It was retinal detachment.
Please go to the ER and get them to fix it. Worry about the money later. This is your eyesight. Don’t let some person behind a desk on the phone tell you you can’t get help.
Not to scare you, but any vision lost during a retinal detachment isn’t recoverable, so your number one goal right now NEEDS to be getting seen. You should definitely go to the ER. They can help you apply there for state coverage, and if you qualify, they’ll cover the bills for you. I wish you luck!
Fuck it, go into debt if you have to this is your vision. If you can apply to a few credit cards do it. Obviously try MassHealth first but game the system as much as you can for your health.
As a receptionist for a major hospital I am so so sorry you experienced this. One of the biggest rules we have is we are not allowed to give out any medical advice at all. Can’t give lab results, can’t guess about what’s going on or what medications will be given, or what the treatment process would possibly be and whoever you spoke to had absolutely no right to treat you that way.
Get yourself to a hospital and worry about the bills later. All facilities vary with billing but no one can refuse you service because you don’t have insurance. Ive scheduled many patients with optometry/ophthalmology who don’t have insurance. Sometimes they will require a referral from a family med/walk in/urgent care provider but you will be seen.
A lot of them have fairly decent financial aid and are willing to work with you. Ask for a billing department phone number or specifically financial aid number. We’re all human and know the average Joe isn’t walking around with the ability to pay a huge medical bill. Don’t let the receptionist tell you they know about billing. We don’t know shit, I can tell you the basics of what your copay is but we don’t have access to your higher benefits or the ability to know if you qualify for financial aid.
Your health and safety come first worry about the money second. I know it’s easy to say and much harder to put into practice trust me but your eyesight is more important than some multi trillion dollar ceo getting their payday. Let that bill go to collections if you really need to you are young you will bounce back.