life and death choices
Remember that family member who really needs help getting her financial house in order?
She was just told yesterday that she has cancer. The same cancer that killed her mother seven years ago.
Suddenly she’s facing surgery, concerns over naming a caregiver for her two dependents, worries over her ability to work, bring home a paycheck, and keep up with bills, and of course, fear of facing her own mortality. But you know what’s really bugging her? Her life insurance.
She’s been carrying life insurance on herself and her children for a very long time. Within the past few months, she’s been getting shady responses from them on the status of her various policies, claims from them that her payments are not being received, and no receipt records, even when she requests them.
Yes, that’s important, but I’m more worried about her health insurance. The company she works for was acquired by another company, which considers the staff to be new employees on probation for 90 days. She has no health insurance. When her probationary period is over (provided she can make it through, given doctors’ visits and her upcoming surgery), if she tries to get coverage, they may deny coverage for what will now likely be called a "preexisting condition." Right now, she’s using charity care for her visits. But what does charity care cover? Will it cover specialist tests, lab work, surgery, hospital stays, AND post-operative care? Is there a limit to how much it will cover? Will Medicaid step in? We have a lot of questions to ask.
Beyond what it costs for medical care, there’s rent to cover. Groceries. Utilities. Let alone a car payment, incidentals, things for her dependents… Someone has to get a handle of where she stands with these things (like how her electric and phone bills aren’t current) and find a way to make sure that while she’s fighting for her life, she doesn’t have to worry if her household is okay. As her family, we will do our best to juggle our own lives with hers, so that she doesn’t have to carry everything on her own.
This is the thing I want to impart to you, reader: This could be any one of us facing an emergency. Would you rather have health, disability and life insurance, current utility bills, savings in the bank, a living will, a final testament, and a named executor once your emergency comes? Or would you rather have all those things to worry about while also having to get up the courage, focus and hope to fight in a crisis? The difference could determine how well you can fight. The difference could determine whether or not you win.
Here’s to hoping and praying that my family member wins.
