Kidney
Post Transplant Finances
May 14, 2021
in Kidney
Great news! I have found a kidney donor who is a friend of a friend and he is a match!!!! I can't even begin to describe how excited I am!!!!!!!! But I do have a question for people that have gone through getting a transplant. I am trying to prepare my finances and I am wondering what sorts of costs should I have on my radar post transplant? How much money should I try and save up? I'm planning on a gofundme,which I hope to share with you all with the hopes that you will share it, and I want to find out how much to try and raise. My insurance will pay most of the costs but I have no idea how much and I have heard the anti rejection and immunosuppressive meds can be pricey. Thanks in advance for your insight!!!
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Congratulations! It is very exciting to find a match. I'm 15 years post transplant and have been through lots of different issues with transplant meds and different costs over the years. Make sure you are completely honest with your transplant team about finances. There are so many programs that can assist you. I am in California so I am not 100% sure if all of this will apply for you. But my transplant center helped me sign up for Medicare as a secondary insurance the first year of transplant. I recall having little costs. Any costs left from the surgery I worked out a payment plan with the hospital for the amount insurance did not cover.
At one point over the years my insurance stopped covering one of my transplant meds. If this happens contact the transplant center. They will help you get an emergency supply and figure out a plan to help you. You need to be very proactive when it comes to the finances. It can be a tough subject but the transplant team is there to help you and not judge you. There are also programs with the pharmaceutical companies that will help you pay copays. You should have a social worker at the transplant center that will have a lot of information about all this.
Congratulations! That so great you found a match! I agree with @Jeanmarie.. please talk to your transplant team and social worker about your finances. There are so many programs that can help you. There can be many expenses post transplant besides medication.
Transplant Patient
I’m in Canada so it’s a bit different here but transplant definitely has a lot of unforeseen costs. We also did a go fund me which was a huge help. Meals and groceries is another thing you can ask for that most people are willing to do and it helps save on food costs. If you have to stay close to your centre and not at home post surgery ask your team about options that have a medical discount or if there’s a charity that helps house outpatients (this is what we did and we got an apartment at a huge discount)
the biggest thing is as costs arise, don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help. This is a long journey and we were never meant to do it alone
I had to stay local to the hospital after the surgery. If you have to, plan on hotel cost and food. My hospital had a “family house” so it was cheaper and had a kitchen in it to cook at home.
congratulations on the kidney match, best wishes with your surgery.