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blessed76 Asked March 2022

How can a person get help to pay for oxygen?

A young had a heart attack, has no insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid.

AlvaDeer Mar 2022
It is extremely unusual for O2 to be given at home after a heart attack without there being some other underlying issues, such as COPD (Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease). Can you tell me how long it is estimated that in home O2 is needed?
How young is this person? Is this person still in hospital?
I agree with all others that Social Workers are best to address this need and they will help with application to medicaid as well. If there is no insurance and no medicare and no medicaid then the spend down is done in seconds what with the cost of hospital care these days.
Speak with the Social Worker. If you are already at home then with the doctor who prescribed in home O2.

GardenArtist Mar 2022
How old/young is this person? Does he/she have other issues? I'm thinking that a young person doesn't necessarily just have a heart attack but that there are already other health issues and/or other doctors involved, perhaps in the cardiac field?

If there are other co-morbidity issues, is the individual involved in any nonprofit organizations which provide various levels of support? Sometimes they can offer suggestions as well.

Both Barb and Frebrowser have offered good suggestions. You might be able to find additional support by contacting a DME supplier which provides oxygen services. My experience is with these entities, who after competition are selected by Medicare to be designated suppliers. So I'm not very familiar with direct to customer supply companies, although I've seen the upbeat and glitzy commercials on tv and ads in AARP publications.

I think it would be helpful also to learn about oxygen equipment, both stationary and portable.

Is this young person still in school? If so, he/she would need something portable. But he/she may also need a stationary unit for home and at night. These can be very, very costly.

I think the young person and/or his/her parents should contact the treating cardiologist or pulmonologist to get accurate information on the individual's condition, as well as potentially provide resources for this person's medical condition.

(Our experience with oxygen arose from a pulmonary, not cardiac condition, so I mention both medical fields.)

When my father was diagnosed with dysphagia, I did a lot of research, found forums specifically focused only on this issue and was shocked to learn that some youngsters also had swallowing disorders, and that there were various organizations with forums for discussions of the related issues.

I'm wondering if you've searched online for similar forums, addressing cardiac issues?

This must be an unsettling situation for a young person; I hope your support and assistance in finding a reasonable oxygen source bears fruit and this young person is able to maintain as normal a life as possible.

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BarbBrooklyn Mar 2022
Ask the hospital social worker for help in applying for Medicaid for your friend.

Frebrowser Mar 2022
This sounds like a good question for the hospital social worker.

I can't guess and you don't say how this individual came to be in the position of not having insurance and not qualifying for the regular safety nets.

If they have any money or credit cards, they could try to buy a used oxygen concentrator from an individual or look at web sites like https://www.noinsurancemedicalsupplies.com/search.php?search_query=oxygen+concentrator§ion=product.

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