Medical Bills Piling Up? Wight Horse can help.

“Take a step back, breathe... Nothing bad immediately is going to happen. You have some time to figure it out.”

In this episode, you'll hear:

• What inspired Romy to start Wight Horse?

The healthcare system is broken. “There is no way you can put a price on a human life, but the reality is, it’s expensive!” Wight Horse is here to help through education, patience advocacy, and financial grants. In this episode, Mathew and Romy discuss the flaws in the medical insurance system, how to navigate around them, and what to do when bills are piling up. Romy gives great practical advice and industry secrets to help manage and reduce medical debt, like don't ever pay a medical bill on your credit card, remember everything can be negotiated, and always ask the hospital if you are eligible for charity care.

Most people are one unexpected bill away from homelessness. The costs of medical care are skyrocketing, and the insurance companies will not let themselves become the loss leaders. Their goal is to make a profit, and oftentimes, it’s the patients who are left out in the cold. Thankfully, Wight Horse is here to help. They focus on patients who are insured and have at least one person working in the home, as this group often makes too much money to qualify for aid and not enough money to pay the bills. However, even if they can’t help you, they can point you in the right direction.

Romy Wightman is a cancer survivor, patient advocate, and founder of Wight Horse, a nonprofit helping people navigate the medical billing system. Before her own cancer diagnosis, Romy spent many years in the insurance space, working with employer policies. Even with her industry knowledge, the medical bills she was receiving during her treatment started to overwhelm her and take a toll on her family financially. Eventually, they were forced to sell their home to keep up with the payments. She felt so alone during this time until one day she saw a post on Facebook from a popular author saying they also had to sell their house to continue to afford care for their daughter. This was the wake-up call for Romy, showing her she was not the only one struggling. You can do all the right things: save, be responsible, make the right moves, and still get sunk by the healthcare system. This inspired her to start Wight Horse, and she has been helping families navigate, negotiate, and advocate ever since.

Follow the podcast: 

• Listen on Apple Podcasts (link: https://apple.co/3s1YH7h) 

Resources:

• WightHorse.com

Connect with Mathew Blades: 

• Twitter - twitter.com/MathewBlades

Additional Credits:

• LFPWLI is managed by Sam Robertson