William Dollins has had one scary health problem after another in just the last few years.
He had pneumonia in both lungs, from which he became septic and nearly died. Then came kidney disease, having most of his colon removed, and then skin cancer surgery on his face.
All of these medical problems also brought him major medical bills. William, in his mid-60s, was facing nearly $20,000 in medical debt, because Medicare doesn’t cover everything.
Before he had to leave work on disability, William had an important job as a failure analysis tech for Bosch Steering Systems. A quiet, hard-working U.S. Army veteran, he was often working 10 to 12 hours a day, six days a week.
But after his health problems arose in 2018, he lost both his house and savings. “Medicare took care of their share, I was stuck with mine, and it kept stacking and stacking,” William recalls.
Getting his Social Security income once a month, William would pay his bills, then use what was left for things like gas and groceries.
All he thought he could do was “try and stay alive and keep the bills paid,” he recalls. “When you’re in my position, where Social Security Disability is your only income, it makes it hard to pay back a heavy medical debt.”
Nevertheless, he was doing his best to pay. Then his fortunes took a turn for the better when he heard about Dollar For.
After applying for debt relief with help from Dollar For this past October, William got some good news just a few months later. St. Elizabeth Edgewood Hospital in northern Kentucky had waived $19,710 in medical bills.
Since his situation “was a mess, I was really grateful for you guys to step in and help,” he says about Dollar For. It seemed like his case wasn’t getting the attention of the hospital’s financial department. He filled out paperwork and then wouldn’t hear anything, he says: “It was like it was slipping through the cracks. But once you guys got involved, it got paid attention to.”
Now, getting that debt relieved has enabled William and his wife, Brenda, to not have to worry about finding a way to pay down the hospital bill.
Asked what they are now able to buy without the nearly $20,000 in medical debt hanging over their heads, William laughs. “Groceries!” he exclaims.
William urges anyone in the same situation to contact Dollar For: “If anybody is giving you a hard time, or you don’t seem to be getting anywhere trying to get things approved, it’s definitely worth it. It’s a big relief.”