Auntie suffers from recurrent breast cancer. While her illness is challenging enough, she also struggles with limited financial resources to cover her medical and living costs.
She is far from alone in our country. In fact, a study at Harvard University, undertaken before the Great Recession, uncovered some troubling statistics related to medical problems and bankruptcy. Researchers identified that medical issues were a major contributing factor in 62 percent of all personal bankruptcies filed in the U.S. in 2007. They were also surprised to learn that 78 percent of those filers had medical insurance at the beginning of their illness. The majority had private coverage — not Medicare or Medicaid. For the most part, filers were solidly middle class before their medical problems began — two-thirds owned their home and three-fifths had gone to college.
Since the economic downturn, the probability is that the situation has deteriorated. A 2011 study by the Center for Disease Control found that at least 20 percent of American families had difficulty paying medical bills in the prior year.
However, statistics don’t tell the real story that people like my auntie and millions of more Americans are living day by day. While part of the Affordable Care Act was meant to prevent private health insurance companies from dropping the seriously ill from their plans, it doesn’t prevent patients from losing their jobs, their homes and their dignity.
Numerous programs exist to provide assistance to people with serious medical and financial issues. These include credit card hardship programs, help with rent, debt settlement programs, prescription drug assistance, help paying energy and utility charges, and assistance with hospital and other medical bills. Most of these programs vary state by state and community by community, and can be difficult to access and use. When one is alone and seriously ill, undertaking a search for these resources is often overwhelming.
A patient’s loved ones can play a vital role in finding available support. But the role of loved ones doesn’t stop there. When patients are faced with serious challenges, helping them maintain their dignity is vitally important, and akamai loved ones try to take that into account when offering their assistance. In my auntie’s case, relatives and friends have met that challenge by buying her gift cards to places she goes to shop, such as neighborhood pharmacies and grocery stores.
Here in Hawaii, purchasing such gift cards is a tradition we offer with aloha. Many of us have given these cards for holiday or birthday gifts — to Longs, Safeway, Foodland or Times, movie theaters and cafes. We give them to our employees, co-workers and to friends who we know would appreciate them.
We receive them in return. It’s a wonderful tradition and the ideal gift for a friend or loved one who is ill.
There are other ways we can help as well. We can chip in to bring someone over to clean the house, or we can do it ourselves. Consider offering to do the shopping once a week, take them to a movie, out for a meal if they are up to it, or simply sit with them at home and talk story. These gestures remind them that they aren’t alone.
We can’t solve all of the medical and financial problems for people we care about, but we can help our loved ones maintain their dignity while offering tangible support.
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Ira Zunin, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., is medical director of Manakai o Malama Integrative Healthcare Group and Rehabilitation Center and CEO of Global Advisory Services Inc. Please submit your questions to info@manakaiomalama.com.
