Jennifer is a cancer survivor with three grown children. She was was diagnosed at Stage IV, the most advanced, and got coverage through the Oregon Health Plan (OHP). Today, she has been in remission for four years and has been able to return to work part time, but she must see her doctors every six months. One day, she got a bill from the medical center for a procedure that was done almost two years ago. Jennifer works as much as she can, but still barely keeps food on the table, and she couldn’t afford the bill. When she told them that, they told her she couldn’t see her doctors anymore. They also called a collection agency, and the collection agency sued her. So she called legal aid. Her legal aid lawyer knew that the medical center couldn’t bill her directly, much less after two years had passed, and they had to let her see her doctor—the center agreed to that when they took her as an OHP patient. Once legal aid got involved, the collection agency backed down, and Jennifer was allowed to see her doctor.
