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The cost of some medical procedures can add insult to injury. Even if you have health insurance, pre-deductible and out-of-pocket costs can quickly add up. When you add these expenses to lost wages during recovery, the total medical bill can be overwhelming. If you’re wondering how to get help paying for surgery, look to the four resources below for help getting surgery assistance.
1. Payment plans
If you need help paying for surgery without insurance
If you’re wondering how to get help paying for surgery without insurance the good news is some hospitals may offer payment plans. The best way to handle this is by asking the hospital’s billing department before your surgery, but this may not always be possible if you have an emergency procedure. In emergency cases, the hospital may want to work with you to establish a payment plan to cover the costs. It’s very important to address this as soon as you’re able to so the hospital’s billing department knows an alternate payment option has been established for you. This will prevent any issues down the line, such as the involvement of a collection agency.
If you need financial help for surgery even with health insurance
Even if you have insurance, the cost of surgery may not be fully covered and you may face out-of-pocket expenses. In cases like this, we recommend contacting your insurance, surgeon, or hospital and asking if they can help you with a payment plan. Remember that your surgery provider wants to get paid so they may be very willing to work with you on a payment plan. It’s important to ask before your procedure when possible but afterward is never too late.
2. Temporary disability
If you live and work in a state with a mandatory program for temporary disability, you can apply for benefits to help you financially while you recover from surgery. (As of this writing, only five states offer this type of coverage—New York, New Jersey, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and California, as well as the US territory of Puerto Rico—but laws change. Check to see if your state has coverage, even if it’s not listed here.)
While this financial assistance helps you following your surgery, it won’t help you pay for the surgery itself. Also, you should know when you apply what the limits of short-term disability coverage are: the cap on both monthly benefits and the length of time you can receive them.
3. Government programs that help pay for surgery
Financial help for surgery for kids
Insure Kids Now is a great resource for low-income working parents who don’t have health insurance, or whose insurance doesn’t extend coverage to their kids. Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provide low-cost health insurance for children, and some cities, offer affordable health coverage for kids from low- and middle-income families. Each state has different eligibility rules; see what the options are for yours.
Surgery assistance for veterans
All veterans can apply for health care benefits through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). However, only some veterans are eligible for health care without copays. Once enrolled, veterans receive a medical benefits package, which includes inpatient care services including surgery. Veterans and their families are also offered a patient advocate to help guide them through the system.
Financial assistance for surgery for seniors
People 65 and over who need money for surgery can get health care coverage through Medicare, including surgery coverage. Medicare coverage is divided into several parts: Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) covers inpatient hospital stays, care in a skilled nursing facility, hospice care, and some home health care. Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) covers certain doctors’ services, outpatient care, medical supplies, and preventive services.
Help paying for surgery for everyone
Look to see if your state offers any medical coverage for those with lower incomes (and when you’re facing a major surgery, you may qualify where you hadn’t before). Start with Healthcare.gov—a “qualifying event” such as a diagnosis may allow you to apply for subsidized coverage even outside the Affordable Care Act’s usual application windows. If your state has its own healthcare exchange, Healthcare.gov will send you there. Once there, follow directions to see if you qualify for insurance subsidies or other coverage.
4. Turn to online fundraising for medical expenses
Crowdfunding is a tool anyone can use to get help with surgery costs in an age of rising insurance deductibles and shrinking coverage, and crowdfunding for surgery has become nearly as routine as some common surgical procedures.
For emergency surgery, online fundraising can be particularly effective. If you or a loved one is facing emergency surgery, you may be wondering how to get money for surgery with such little time to organize your finances. The good news is that you can raise money quickly with medical fundraising.
Medical fundraising resources
- Our medical crowdfunding guide will walk you through the process of creating a successful medical fundraiser.
- Check out our medical fundraising tips for inspiration and ideas.
- For those struggling to pay for healthcare without insurance, read our blog post on ways to get help for out of pocket medical expenses.
Why fundraising matters
When you need help paying for surgery or another life event, every dollar counts. That’s why in the US, there’s no fee to start or manage your fundraiser on GoFundMe. However, there is one small transaction fee per donation that covers all your fundraising needs. Everything else goes directly to your cause, because that’s what matters most.
Successful GoFundMe surgery fundraiser examples
Chris’ appendectomy recovery
You can start a fundraiser on your own, or have someone else start it for you. Take, for example, Chris’ appendectomy recovery. After Chris and his wife welcomed their new baby, he faced an unexpected surgery but had no paid time off from his work. They found it difficult to pay for the costs of the surgery and his aftercare. His friend Amanda decided to take action and start a GoFundMe for his surgery costs and was able to raise over $5,000 to put towards mounting medical bills. With this help, the family was able to focus their attention on their new family and Chris’s recovery—all with less stress.
Lung Transplant Recovery for Pauly
Pauly and Yaniv’s cases are some examples of fundraisers for transplants on GoFundMe. After battling a brain tumor and cancer at a young age, Pauly faced the prospect of a double lung transplant. Pauly’s family and friends rallied behind him to raise over $41,000 to cover many of his out-of-pocket costs, making it easier for him and his family to focus on his long recovery and getting healthy again.
Double Lung Transplant for Yaniv
Due to years of cutting and polishing a man-made marble full of silica for his job, Yanic developed an occupational lung disease called silicosis. His lungs started collapsing in 2015, and the persisting issues led to Yaniv needing a double lung transplant. Although Yaniv’s surgery is covered by insurance through his wife’s workplace, they still have many out-of-pocket expenses to pay for.
