I'm asking for my mother.  She's 63 and and my father is retired and
living on social security.  My mothers eyesight has been steadily
declining and last year an optometrist told her that she had cataracts
and would need surgury or her eyesight would continue to decline and
she could eventually go blind. She has no insurance, but recently
qualified for a state MSI program which paid for a recent brief
hospital stay.  They don't, however, cover the laser cataract surgury
she needs to correct her vision.

Are there other resources available which provide referrals for
low-income cataract surgery locally?  She's in Orange County, CA (714
area code).

Hello,

I am sorry to hear about your mother’s situation and I hope the
following programs for vision problems are helpful.


“Mission Cataract USA, coordinated by the Volunteer Eye Surgeons'
Association, is a program providing free cataract surgery to people of
all ages who have no other means to pay. Surgeries are scheduled
annually on one day, usually in May. Telephone: 1-800-343-7265”
Senior Eye Concerns Website
http://www.eyesearch.com/senior.eye.concerns.htm


“The National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of
Health, is the Federal Government's principal agency for conducting
and supporting research on the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and
rehabilitation of eye diseases and disorders of the visual system.”
http://www.eyesearch.com/senior.eye.concerns.htm


“VISION USA, coordinated by the American Optometric Association (AOA),
provides free eye care to uninsured, low-income workers and their
families. Screening for the program takes place only during January of
each year, with exams provided later in the year. Telephone:
1-800-766-4466”
Senior Eye Concerns Website
http://www.eyesearch.com/senior.eye.concerns.htm


“Lions Clubs International provides financial assistance to
individuals for eye care through local clubs. There are Lions Clubs in
most localities, and services vary from club to club. The telephone
number for the national office is (630) 571-5466.”
Senior Eye Concerns Website
http://www.eyesearch.com/senior.eye.concerns.htm


The Knights Temporal Eye Foundation  
Headquarters  
P.O. Box 579  
Springfield IL  62705-0579  
(217) 523-3838  
Helps individuals who cannot afford surgery and who are not eligible
for government-funded health care.  Local chapters are listed in the
phone book under "fraternal organizations."
Financial Aid for Eye care
http://www.lighthouse.org/resources_financial.htm


The Pearle Vision Foundation  
2534 Royal Lane  
Dallas TX 75229  
(972) 277-5000  
(972) 277-5992  
Gives out grants quarterly to fund eye surgery
Financial Aid for Eye care
http://www.lighthouse.org/resources_financial.htm


You may also contact a social worker at a local hospital or other
community agency. Social workers often are knowledgeable about
community resources that can help people facing financial and medical
problems.
 

Keywords used:
cataract surgery programs
low income
financial aid
eye care


I hope this helps.

Best regards,
bobbie7-ga

Hello,

Bobbie7 has given you some good resources :-)  When you refer to MSI,
do you mean the Medical Services for Indigents Program? If so, may I
ask how you learned that MSI won't cover your mother's surgery? I've
worked in health care for a long time, and am always amazed at the
amount of mis-information that is given. I can't imagine that cataract
surgery would be denied unless it were considered an elective rather
than medically-necessary procedure. It's possible that MSI may cover
it if given the proper documentation that the procedure is medically
necessary.

Here is MSI's home page: http://www.oc.ca.gov/hca/medical/msi.htm

That web page has a patient brochure, which you can view online. It
gives this contact information for medical care, benefits, and
billing:

MSI Patient/Provider Relations Administrative Office
714-834-5211
8:00am - 4:30pm Monday - Friday 

It might be worthwhile for you to call and find out what documentation
would need to be submitted to that office in order to make a
determination about medical necessity.

If, indeed, MSI will not under any circumstances cover the procedure,
there are still options available, as Bobbie7 has indicated. Also,
most hospitals have charity care programs. As Bobbie7 suggested, you
can contact the social services department of your hospital of choice
and inquire about services available to your mother. If the hospital
social worker advises you that there are no such services at the
hospital, ask the social worker about other programs in the community.
You can also ask the social worker if the hospital has an MSI liaison
or other financial representative who can help you deal with MSI's
denial.

One important thing to remember about hospital charity programs is
that most programs can write off expenses such as room and board,
medications, supplies, etc. But often the physicians caring for the
patient are not hospital employees, and therefore doctors' fees may
not be covered by the program. Even so, the hospital charity program
can substantially reduce the costs if your mother qualifies.

Good luck! It's nice that you are looking out for your mother's needs
:-)

fsw