Many hepatitis C patients today find themselves in a gap without medical insurance and often face going without the medical care they need. Some patients who do have insurance also face situations of not being able to receive the testing and treatment they need because co-pays and out of pocket expenses are beyond what they can afford or they have been turned down for treatment by their physicians or insurance company.
Sadly for many Hepatitis C patients the first line of battle is not with the Hepatitis C virus itself but the battleground to get medical care and treatment. Many Hepatitis C patients feel lost in fog and don’t know where to seek help, or even worse feel so defeated they don’t seek help at all.
If you’ve had a bad experience with your doctor or insurance company and they refuse to help you move forward with Hepatitis C testing or treatment, you have the right as a patient to request and receive copies of all your medical records and tests and seek another physician and health care team. No patient should be left behind and without care, ever!
There are many patient assistant groups available to help patients receive the care and treatment they need for hepatitis C. See the resources below for more information.
For Free Care and Low Cost for Medical Care:
For Veterans: contact your local Veteran’s administration office and ask for information on medical care regarding ALL VA benefits and eligibility.
- For VA Health Care application information: https://explore.va.gov/health-care? gclid=Cj0KCQjwgIPOBRDnARIsAHA1X3Qe69ufGivSuNJwLUv1S4UN2Pva2lVa-uGbmd0W5w26yy6sEEstW3AaAkU4EALw_wcB
- See resource here for additional information: https://www.va.gov/healthbenefits/cost/insurance.asp
- Veteran’s Spouses, Dependents and Survivors Eligibility for Medical Care and Treatment: https://explore.va.gov/health-care/spouses-dependents-survivors
- Free or Low-Cost Health Care and Medicine: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/freemedcare_int.html
- How to find low-cost health care in your community: https://www.healthcare.gov/community-health-centers/
- For Rural and Remote Area patients: https://ramusa.org/
- National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics: http://www.nafcclinics.org/
- Free Low Cost/Sliding Scale Clinics: http://www.needymeds.org/free-clinics-branch
- Finding Help for Cost of Medicine: http://www.needymeds.org/
- Financial Assistance/Patient Assistant Programs to Help with Hepatitis C treatment: https://www.lifebeyondhepatitisc.com/medical-information/financial-assistance/
Information on Clinical Trials for Hepatitis C: Hep C Patients Considering a Hep C Clinical Trial
- See additional information on Volunteering for a Clinical Trial: http://www.centerwatch.com/clinical-trials/volunteering.aspx#whocan
Never give up fighting the good fight. Persevere with persistence until you find the help that’s right for you.
This entry was originally published on Life Beyond Hepatitis C, and is reprinted with permission.
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