Going out on a fragile limb...

[AlphaGamGirlAY]

Ok, here's my situation. Back in September before formal Rush, I had an incident in the dorm lobby...I collapsed because I had been like 6 or 7 hours without food (being hypoglycemic, that's not good). I was taken by ambulance to the ER and was there for a few hours.

I never told my parents and I don't intend to if I can help it because they can't help me (Dad is still unemployed and now on alert status b/c he's in the army). My mom would just freak out and tear me away from school, thinking I can't take care of myself.

Shortly after that incident, I purchased medical insurance through the university b/c my family has none. It's covered the hospital expenses with no issue, but I seem to be battling with them about the ambulance charges. I do not have the money to pay for this, nor do my parents and I cannot tell them about this...I've decided to apply for the SIS and I'm praying that it will work for me.

[greeklawgirl]

Oh, sweetie, what a fix you are in. I'm sorry this happened to you. The only thing that I can advise you to do is to keep fighting with the insurance company. Depending on the policy you have, most insurance companies will cover at least part of the ambulance if it was deemed medically necessary. Read your policy carefully and keep at them if you are in the right.

If ambulance is not covered, one thing that you can do is ask if you can pay in installments. My first semester of law school I was hospitalized for an appendectomy, and there was no way I could afford to pay my share of the hospital bills in one lump sum. They let me pay it over 6 months, which made things much easier for me.

I'm also going to give you some other unsolicited advice: you really should tell your parents what happened. It seems to me that since this hasn't happened again since September, you're doing a better job coping with college life. It probably won't happen again. But I just don't think its a good idea to be keep health secrets like that from your parents.

Whatever happens, good luck. I'll be praying that things turn out well for you.

[GtownGirl98]

I headline this this way because I am just learning about the whole insurance thing but take this for what it is worth (if you will). My professior of my health care administration class mentioned this, FIGHT FIGHT AND MORE FIGHT the insurance company. They don't want fights because they don't have the time, so if you are willing to put up the fight then fight it! If you get a hold of the right person, on the right day, then they will give up and just pay. (This happens for some, but not all, I will advise.)

I also think that this is one of the reasons for the SIS fund. If not let us know and I am sure something can be worked out amongest us.

Good luck! And tell you parents!

First and foremost, I'm glad that you're okay...just remember to eat regularly to avoid fainting spells!

The SIS grant is out there to help our sisters in need. Still, I'm going to echo what Maria and Arin both said--and that's to tell your parents.

I passed out at school 4 years ago after giving blood and I was rushed to the nearest hospital in an ambulance because my blood pressure dropped so low that the EMTs couldn't find it. I was covered under my mom's insurance at that time, so the hospital visit was covered, but I cried when I saw the ambulance bill 4 weeks later. I remember not wanting to tell my mom, but I knew that she'd be more pissed if I didn't tell her.

I didn't know how I was going to pay for the ambulance bill, but with my mom's help, she was able to fight the authorities and while we still had to pay for some of the cost, it was better than the initial cost given to us.

I'm not a parent yet, but I know that it's normal for parents to freak out no matter what. Good luck to you and I hope things work out for the best!

[Lisa Fishman]

I'd probably tell my parents what happened. Tell them you have learned what to do now that this has happened. Also, I've become hypoglycemic myself, though I have never passed out. I have a couple of suggestions for you. Eggs for breakfast. Keep little snacks around at all times. Especially protein items, cheese, peanut butter are great for a hypoglycemic snack and orange juice is great to get sugar in your system fast. I've found that a snack at around 3 pm and one just before bed really does the trick. Sorry, I sound a little like a parent. Hope all works out. Lisa

[DWAlphaGam]

I'm going to have to echo everyone else's sentiments here and say fight the insurance company. An unhappy customer is a potentially lost customer, so chances are that they will eventually cave in order to keep your business. My boyfriend had an appendectomy about a year ago, and his first bill for it was about $16,000 (it was a really crappy insurance company). He called the insurance company every week or 2 for a couple of months, refusing to pay and threatening to drop his insurance, and he eventually got the bill down to a more managable amount. Plus, the hospital let him work out a payment plan so he didn't have to come up with the money all at once.

I also agree that you should tell your parents. If you have demonstrated that you learned from the experience and that you're taking better care of yourself, they should understand. You also should not have to go through this on your own, and your parents will probably help you talk to the insurance company, even if they can't afford to help you pay the bill.

Good luck with everything!

[hawaiiagd]

I'm with everyone else.... TELL YOUR PARENTS!

They'll probably freak a bit at first, but it'll be loads better than what you might get if they find out later....

Take care of your self

Hi there...

Sorry to crash your board, but I wanted to respond since I have been in a similar situation myself.

Two summers ago I collapsed at work and had to be taken to the hospital. I was unable to work for quite a while and the medical bills really added up. I discovered that, as someone mentioned above, many times hospitals/insurance companies/ambulance companies will be very willing to work out a payment plan for you. I paid off my bills in measly $10/month increments until I started working again. Generally, as long as they know they will eventually get the money, they will be co-operative.

I know working with insurance companies can be frustrating! Take detailed notes when you talk on the phone with them... in my case I got a helpful claims tech. one time and was able to reference her and what she told me when other people from the ins. company told me things that were wrong and would have cost me a lot more money.