Hospice Care Today

Horses,

I’m so sorry.

I posted to another thread my experience with my husband’s ascites (bloated stomach from fluid buildup caused by the tumor) and thought I’d share it here too.

His doctors ordered the fluid drained, but took too much at once, upsetting the balance of chemicals/electrolytes in his body and he wound up with acute renal failure where he’d never had kidney problems before.

Because of that, he was not able to take the same regimen of chemo, because one of the meds (can’t remember which one of the gem/cis cocktail) stresses the kidneys and that would have exacerbated his kidney problem. The doctors from then on had to work hard to avoid kidney failure, including a trip to the ER brought on by vomiting and weakness.

From then on, the acute renal failure severely limited what my husband could eat, and he was already able to eat only limited items. It became a huge issue for us, trying to decide whether to drain or if he should put up with the discomfort.

Glad you have hospice in place to help you.
Love,
Margaret

Unfortunately that can be the case with some insurance plans, especially privately paid insurance plans. It would be nice if all insurance plans were equal for this and realize that when you are discussing hospice, the last thing you want to deal with is money and it most cases can deal with.

Look at your hospice closely, if they are not for profit (the Home Health and Hospice I work for is) then they will often write off the financial piece of it. Also look and see if you have a second hospice available in your area. Quite often areas have one that is larger and more well known while there is a second smaller agency. The second agency may be non-profit or be willing to work with you on the finances.

Lastly appeal to your insurance company. They have the ultimate decision and I know that some will drop the co-pays and deductibles, especially in a situation like this.

I have a firm belief that NO ONE should have to pay anything for hospice care. You are already dealing with the most stressful time in your life and there is no need to have to worry about finances.

We had a similar story at work just recently only this young woman’s plan only allowed her to have 15 days of hospice care in her lifetime. She was very ill but we knew she would be here longer than 15 days. We took her on and will write off anything her insurance does not pay.

Hope you can work things out.

KrisV

I was evaluated for Hospice care and because I have a $2,500 deductible and a $3,500.00 co-pay, they told me I would be responsible for meeting the deductible and co-pay first, or I would have to pay Hospice directly. I am not on Medicare, but have paid $546.00 per month for years. I suppose Hospice doesn’t want to get “stuck” with a bill when I die. Anyone been in the same situation? Thank you.

Horses –
I am glad things went well for you with the hospice evaluation. You will find them to be a great support and a great resource.
It may be that your husband had some ascites in his abdomen which is buildup of fluid when the liver is not working well. If it causes shortness of breath and discomfort, they can drain it. This should be covered by hospice when it’s done since it is a comfort measure for him. You may ask about that. The hospice group I work with do it quite often in situations like this. Also as Marion said, talk to your doc about ways to prevent the fluid buildup.

KrisV

I am so glad you had your evaluation with Hospice and know you have done the right thing. I hope for Frank a comfortable Journey. If you have any questions just ask away and we will try to help. Sending you both many hugs and lots of love!