Steve is a 33-year-old guy who was loving life with his wife, Katherine, and their two cats. He has a meaningful job working with his township where he arranges events for people in need as well as celebrations for the town. That’s why when he received a bill for over $1000 from something that happened a year ago, “it felt like a slap in the face.”
One day in the late summer of 2021, Steve didn’t know what was happening to him.
“I was in the worst pain of my life. I really thought I was going to die.”
Steve went to the ER. It turned out he had a kidney stone. He was there less than an hour. He received fluids and a minor pain reliever.
“I walked out of the door on my own. Not even a wheelchair escort. I was really surprised.”
A year later, he received a bill for $1015. Even with insurance, he could not cover it. After that bill, he kept getting repeat bills threatening to take him to collections.
“It’s easy to feel alone when you can’t pay your medical bills. I wasn’t expecting to get a bill for over $1000 a year later. I don’t mind paying for their time but $1015 for an hour?”
The hospital did not mention that Steve could consider charity care. Not only that, when he tried to apply for assistance with the hospital bill, they told him he had to go through yet another process.
To make matters worse, his wife was also facing medical bills due to a car accident. Steve loves his busy job, but it did not pay enough to cover costs like this.
“I finally found Dollar For online and saw they had an article in the Wall Street Journal. I figured they must be for real.”
Dollar For walked Steve through the application process for assistance with the hospital. Even when the hospital diverted him to a new process, Dollar For stood by him until his bill was reduced from $1015 to only $115.
When Steve saw the bill was only $115 now, he was relieved. “My wife and I are just starting out. Once I was off my parent’s health insurance, it got a lot harder. I was thrilled when I saw the lower bill.”
Steve’s advice is not to deal with the hospital at all. Go straight to Dollar For. “They walk you through the hospital billing system step-by-step and make it so much easier for a guy like me. You will need patience and endurance, but they will be there for you.”
Steve was so happy, he made sure to put Dollar For business cards on the front desk of his office so the whole town could take advantage of the service.
“I am grateful to Dollar For for helping me reduce the bill substantially and glad they will be there for the next person. I know we can count on them in the future.”
Read about other Illinois residents Dollar For has helped: Alexandria, Ashley, Jose.