My husband (the self-employed cable installer) injured his knee. I took him to the ER, received xray (no broken bones), discharged & referred to orthopedist. We don't have insurance & he had to pay out of pocket for 2 doctor's visits and an MRI. We are out of money w/ no income (I'm a nrsing student). Results show he has torn cartilage and needs surgery. We have no way to pay for it. We've applied for medicaid but that takes up to 45 days to process. The doctor will do a payment plan but wants $5000 up front (which we can't even afford groceries). My husband can't even walk. He's on crutches. Can't work and can't help around the house.
My question:
If we take him to the bigger and better hospital (Tampa General) and he tells them what's going on and that he's having persistant pain, cannot walk, swelling, etc. , do you think they'd go ahead and do the arthroscopic surgery on an ER admit w/o insurance?
If not, how do you suggest we go about resolving this? We have 2 kids, I'm a fulltime student, he was our only source of income, and we have no insurance. We need serious help!!!
