Mary’s life changed suddenly when she went for a routine mammogram and three tumors were discovered. Mary had a mastectomy scheduled within two weeks of receiving her diagnosis. At that time, Mary had Medicare, but due to the cost she did not have supplemental insurance. 
When Mary received her portion of the bill, not covered by insurance, for $8,500 she immediately set up a payment plan and began making monthly payments to the hospital. But it seemed that every time Mary got her bill paid down, something would happen to drive it back up. 
A friend encouraged her to fill out the financial aid paperwork to find out if there were options available for her. Mary contacted the hospital and completed the paperwork, a process which Mary described as, “A lot of information, but all easy to obtain.” 
Mary could hardly believe when she received the letter, stating that her bill was forgiven, 100%. 
“Our Financial Assistance Program helps low-income and uninsured patients with temporary financial assistance or free care for medical services they received at our facility,” says Glynis Evans, patient financial services director. “It truly helps them through a difficult time without the worry of how they will pay for health care costs.” 
Mary takes great pride in being able to financially take care of herself and asking for help was not something she wanted to do. She is so grateful to the Patient Financial Services team, specifically Shelby, who never treated her differently for needing assistance.