Crowdfunding can help pay Medical bills… it's that simple.Do you know that you can crowdfund for almost anything you want including medical bills. Often people find themselves in a Medical crisis and don't know where to go. Medical bills can pile up in no time and medical bankruptcy is a fact. After am wile you'd be very surprised on how many people in "your own crowd" are willing to help.
In a study published in January 2014 by the Center For Disease Control (CDC), one in four families experienced a financial burden from medical care.
This "financial burden" of medical care equates to medical bills that they are currently unable to pay and will have to pay monthly over time.
This study further shares that lower-income families were more likely to experience the financial burden of medical care. Those families with incomes at or below 250% of the federal poverty level had the highest financial burden from medical care.
250% of the federal poverty level (based on 2013 guidelines) means a family of four with annual incomes of $58,875 or lower was at the highest level of the population and felt the financial burden of medical care for a loved one. That's our middle class America. These are the families who live wage to wage and are not prepared for a medical crisis.
It's a baby with his eyes closed and an oxygen cannula in his nose. He was born with a bad heart, weak immune system and problems with eating that caused a condition that doctors labeled as "failure to thrive". Isaac spent the first year of his life in and out of hospitals in Las Vegas and at Stanford, undergoing multiple cardiac catheterizations and procedures, open heart surgery, and a feeding tube that was surgically placed to ensure he was getting the right amount of nutrients. Isaac's family had a great insurance policy that covered 80% of all medical expenses. But they still spent more than $100,000 out of pocket on deductibles and Medical expenses for the first year of his life.
Shocking... right?
I know... My name is Kathy, and I'm Isaac's mother.
I remember people asking us if they could hold a fundraiser for us, give us money… they would offer to do anything to help. I had no idea at the time of the costs we would incur, nor of all the things that insurance doesn't cover. You assume you pay for the insurance, you have a deductible... The End.
If only it were.
Words of Advice:
Start a Crowdfunding Campaign Right Away
You don't need to be too humble to let other people offer to help you. You really can't imagine the cost of things in the medical world and how they add up. It's TOO hard to think about money when you're talking about the health care of someone you love. If you want everything done, you worry about the bills later.
How exactly does crowdfunding help pay my medical bills?
Well,
they can't send a check to the hospital for you, but they can provide
you with a platform to help you tell your story and also share it with
your friends and family. The right crowdfunding platform will provide
you with support all the time, from guidance in writing your story,
choosing photos to post, sharing on the social media channels, and even
helping you write press releases to get national exposure.
From a mother who has been there
Don't expect people in the midst of a medical crisis to think clearly (well, I certainly wasn't). If you are family or just a loving friend... talk to them about the medical bills and the reality of the situation. Talk to them about what they need now and what their needs might be in the future and help them budget and plan to get everything their loved one needs. From bills, equipment, therapy sessions… even therapy dogs, all of these things may be a necessity now or in the future.
Crowdfunding can has been helping people to pay their medical bills by letting them in taking care of their family and your "crowd" help you. Donations are made by people you have inspired and who want to help you. Meanwhile all these people will definitively going to have a platform that will donate to them on their schedule and an amount that is within their means. They will be sure that the money goes directly to YOU and not to an anonymous organization.
You are not alone in your medical crisis. Crowdfunding is a viable resource to help pay for medical bills and other medical supplies.