Oh NO. I sympathize with you SO much, cln.

I was in the hospital for psych issues three times in 2017, totaling about 30 days. My out-of-pocket cost AFTER insurance SO FAR has been $9,000, of which $1,700 was for just one of the ambulance transports; they had to drive ~85 miles to the closest metro area. The other two ambulance charges haven't arrived yet. The bills just keep coming. Will this ever end?

The ambulance company did give me a 20% discount for paying them in full immediately. That might be a possibility for you? Oh...after I paid, they insisted that they had never offered a discount, so be sure to write down names of anyone who makes promises. Don't hesitate to try to negotiate all hospital payments when possible.

I'm glad that you survived your surgery and hopefully are recovering quickly. Healthcare is out of reach anymore. Obviously I'm motivated to adhere to my pdoc's instructions to avoid another disaster in the future but, even so, most of my meds are not affordable.

I have a friend who was able to be declared "medically indigent," even though she owns outright two nice homes and has significant financial resources. I question the ethics of this, but maybe this is something you could look into?

So I understand what you're going through. This, too, shall pass -- I promise.