Two years ago I was diagnosed with brain aneurysm. For the last six months I have had the worst headaches of my life and throwing up. Had ALL the unerupted BA symptoms and some ruptured BA symptoms. Loosing my vision. Are there any programs that can help with insurance? I am a mom of six with low income in Buford, GA. Please help!
Hey Elena,
Welcome to Benâs Friends.
Before I start here I want to say that Iâm in Australia, where we have universal healthcare, so how the systems all work (or donât work) is very different. Iâve had a bit of a look around to see what information I can find and although a BA is not technically a brain tumour, it is a brain condition. Many âbrainâ organizations network with each other and often share resources. Some organizations can have some fairly solid criteria ie âWe ONLY help people with brain tumours, not brain conditionsâ and if that is the case then ask them âWhat other organizations may assist?â In some cases the Red Cross may assist or, again, know who could be of assistance. There maybe local medical charities that could assist.
So hereâs a link to The American Brain Tumour Association-Financial assistance page.
Another option maybe through your local hospital. They have to deal with these systems everyday. They have social workers in most hospitals. Speak to them, lay it all out. Your symptoms, how they impact you, how they impact your family, your life, EVERYTHING. Part of a social workers role is to network with others to get the best outcome for their client. You and I donât have that access, we donât know how to shortcut the system to get the outcome we need. They do. They do this sort of thing daily.
At times like these the stresses can be beyond MASSIVE (Well, they were for me. I was a mess) and it can all be a little (A LOT) overwhelming. Luckily for me, my wife is a HUGE support and a great advocate. There are medical advocates available too, some one who can speak on you behalf. I can tend to get a little (A LOT) intense when medicos minimise my symptoms or talk about me in the 3rd person, as if Iâm not even in the same room as them, GGrrrrrr. By having a medical advocate, someone who understands the processes and can help navigate it all, it can help reduce both the mental and emotional stresses involved.
If you find that The American Brain Tumour Association cannot or will not assist, please let us know. There are sure to be other avenues that maybe of assistance.
Merl from the Moderator Support Team
Welcome elanalx07! I reside in the USA. You state youâre a low income mom. Do you have Medicaid that covers you and your children? If not, go to your local DSS and apply. It wouldnât hurt to reach out to them and ask for their opinion as well. Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Hereâs the link for GA Medicaid and apparently you can apply online
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Emory Hospital offers a few medical grants. You can check to see if any of those grants are for aneurysm surgery. Thank God I have insurance through the military because I spent 10 days in ICU during my brain aneurysm surgery and the total bill was $210,000. Itâs very expensive but the doctors at Emory were excellent!
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I am so sorry to hear you are struggling and in pain. You need to be treated. What is the size of your aneurysm?
Hi elena,
If you are having a life-threatening emergency, a hospital must treat you even if you donât have insurance. That doesnât mean itâs free, it just means they must care for you if your life is in danger. You can ask for discounts or payment plans. There are state resources for health insurance. Go to the GA medicaid site that Moltroub posted.