amo_mea_filiis. Posted March 26, 2015 Author Share Posted March 26, 2015 Try calling Rotary Club and Kiwanis Club too. Will do, thanks. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zimom Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Try calling Rotary Club and Kiwanis Club too. FYI: Lions Club actually has a program for hearing aids and eyeglasses. It is part of their service programs. Also Sertoma Clubs has hearing as one of their programs although I have never had any luck with them purchasing hearing aids for adults, they have purchased some specialty items (FM systems) for children. Thought I would also add, we also had a local cancer fund that would purchase hearing aids for adults or children if their hearing loss was a result of the treatment (chemotherapy, radiation). Some years they had a good bit of extra funding that their requirements were looser and they would purchase hearing aids for their cancer patients already enrolled in their program regardless of the cause of the hearing loss. Just other things to think about. Vocational Rehabilitation: If I remember correctly this is a federal program administered on the state level. VR purchases hearing aids for adults trying to get back into the work force. There are many other services VR provides for individuals with a wide range of disabilities including education and other durable medical equipment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsabelC Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 I think it depends a lot on the relationship you have with your parents or in-laws. Even if my kids were starving, I'd probably rather chop off my leg and barbecue it than ask my parents for money. But for some people it would be no biggie. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 It's braces for ds. So $6,000 or more, and I'm not in a position to pay it back for a looooooong time. He needs them, but it's not so dire that his insurance will pay. The cost and inability to pay back is why the funding page was suggested. My orthodontist accepted monthly payments over the course of the treatment. It worked out great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 It's braces for ds. So $6,000 or more, and I'm not in a position to pay it back for a looooooong time. He needs them, but it's not so dire that his insurance will pay. The cost and inability to pay back is why the funding page was suggested. Wait a second. The dentist said he needs them, but the insurance won't pay because... they are not needed? I know insurance varies, but if coverage for braces is included in your policy, and the dentist says they are needed, then why won't the insurance cover it? Have you submitted an appeal and/or gotten your dentist to resubmit paperwork explaining why the braces are needed? I apologize if I missed something that explained that. Sometimes insurance claims (or preapprovals) are rejected for something as simple as an error on a diagnosis or procedure code. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hwin Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 I would shop around and look for payment plans. I think most orthodontists have them because honestly, it's not a one time expensive treatment and you're done. You have to keep going back every couple months for adjustments, so it's pretty easy to keep tabs on the people who owe them money. When my mother got us braces it was basically paid off over the course of every one's treatment. I know that if I couldn't afford braces for my kids, my parents would probably help us make monthly payments. I really wouldn't want the scrutiny that another poster mentioned. Whenever I've accepted money from my family I've felt like I've had to justify every little thing. "Oh, that's a nice blouse, is that new?" "I GOT IT FOR 99 CENTS AT SALVATION ARMY USING CHANGE I FOUND IN THE COUCH!" So stressful. LOL 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amo_mea_filiis. Posted March 27, 2015 Author Share Posted March 27, 2015 Wait a second. The dentist said he needs them, but the insurance won't pay because... they are not needed? I know insurance varies, but if coverage for braces is included in your policy, and the dentist says they are needed, then why won't the insurance cover it? Have you submitted an appeal and/or gotten your dentist to resubmit paperwork explaining why the braces are needed? I apologize if I missed something that explained that. Sometimes insurance claims (or preapprovals) are rejected for something as simple as an error on a diagnosis or procedure code. It's medicaid. He'd have to be extremely severe for it to be covered. A little pain and discomfort is ok. Only 2 teeth not coming in is fine. Medicaid will pay to remove teeth, but do not care how much shifting happens if those teeth are removed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 It's medicaid. He'd have to be extremely severe for it to be covered. A little pain and discomfort is ok. Only 2 teeth not coming in is fine. Medicaid will pay to remove teeth, but do not care how much shifting happens if those teeth are removed. Ahh... I am sorry. :grouphug: :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amo_mea_filiis. Posted March 27, 2015 Author Share Posted March 27, 2015 CHIP would cover it (ortho 1 sent us to ortho 2 who takes medicaid since he meets CHIP standards, but medicaid denied twice), but we're too poor to pay into insurance. CHIP would bounce us back to medicaid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 My family would disown anyone who asked for money while DH's family takes great pride in asking. Go figure. Try going to a regular dentist who offers Invisilign. They sure are making attractive deals around here. Also consider a dental school even if you have to drive a couple of hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 It's medicaid. He'd have to be extremely severe for it to be covered. A little pain and discomfort is ok. Only 2 teeth not coming in is fine. Medicaid will pay to remove teeth, but do not care how much shifting happens if those teeth are removed. Is there some kind of effective in-between measure? One of mine had space that wasn't yet ready for braces (ahem, plus our wallet wasn't ready til two years later!) needed some space to be maintained til permanent teeth erupted. The orthodontist made a retainer which cost under $250 (not covered by insurance). That bought us time to get our payment structure in place and keptcertain teeth from going astray during the wait. See a few orthos and ask them to help you figure out some creative treatment. Maybe you can't do a full blown treatment plan now, but there really might be something interim that is effective in cost and oral care. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amo_mea_filiis. Posted March 27, 2015 Author Share Posted March 27, 2015 So, if you run the numbers, how much is CHIP compared to out of pocket? Is it low enough that your dad or a community organization could help you out? I can't pay into CHIP. The system doesn't allow it. As soon as I enter our income, it tells me that we qualify for Medicaid and that's it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 OP - I just had a $1190 root canal done this week, with $2200 worth of crown/fillings scheduled for next. I do NOT have that sort of money -- not with DH's cancer treatments. Our dentist suggested Care Credit. It's a credit card for medical expenses, with a predetermined limit (mine was $3000, so I still have to come up with some cash). My dentist allows a specific time frame interest free. Maybe something like that would be helpful until you come up with some cash? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 When my son's choir was fundraising for tours, one of the first things the choristers were encouraged to do was to send letters to family and friends asking for financial assistance. The organization provided form letters on letterhead on which the kids could fill in their names. Each time, there were a few choristers who raised a significant chunk of the required funds -- sometimes all of it -- simply by sending out those letters. My son has a friend who is a talented musician. Last summer, he was accepted into a prestigious summer music program, but his parents could not afford the tuition and fees, let alone the costs for travel and incidentals. They set up a GoFundMe page with photos and videos of him performing and some text explaining the program and why it was such a great opportunity for him. They offered "rewards" including things like thanking people by name on Facebook and making CDs of the student's original music and the promise of pair of tickets to the student's first professional concert (whenever that happens). He ended up raising all but about $200 of the several thousand dollars he needed to attend. So, people definitely do this kind of thing successfully, even for non-essentials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.