People want to help, and different people have different strengths. A trusted friend who is diligent and good with details may make a great person to track and follow up on billing concerns.

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer a LOT of people wanted to help. As I have said before, we can only eat and freeze so many casseroles. I am celiac, so people do not want to even attempt to figure out what the heck I can eat! There are so many out of the box ways people can help you. Organizing all those medical bills is one of them.

I happen to be good with spreadsheets. After my 15K car accident where I only owed 2K, I knew my cancer diagnosis was going to dwarf that experience. I set up a sheet the moment I was diagnosed. I tracked my appointments, then created columns for: how much the charge was, how much insurance paid, how much I owed, and what was written off the initial charge. Then I noted when it was paid. This enabled me to make sure everything was getting processed correctly and getting paid. It also told me what I had paid and what I owed.

If you are not a spreadsheet person, I bet someone you trust in your inner circle is. I also bet they would be willing to help you or take this off your plate entirely. Part of that might be making phone calls when something is billed incorrectly and cannot be properly processed by insurance. You may need to sign a document granting this person permission to discuss bills on your behalf depending upon how they are supporting you.

The financial components of cancer are huge, getting help can take the pressure off and give you some added perspective on asking for help. Did you create tracking for your bills or have someone help? Tell me in the comments.

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