MarbleRoad's Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): |
(1) What does MarbleRoad do? MarbleRoad provides financial assistance and support for families who have been affected by complex illness. |
(2) Am I eligible to receive financial assistance? MarbleRoad can not provide financial assistance for all who apply, even if all applicants meet the requirements as displayed below. MarbleRoad staff and its Board of Directors review each applicant on a case by case basis and issue financial assistance grants to individuals as funds permit. You are eligible to receive financial assistance if (1) can not be provided by the health center or (2) are related to a rare or undiagnosed disorder; and (3) are not covered by your insurance (including emergency medicaid) or (4) you do not have health insurance.
(B) You are an uninsured patient of a non-FQHC primary care provider and:
(C) You have health insurance and: There is an application available on our website. In your application you will be asked to demonstrate the above, as well as provide some additional demographic and disease related information. If you have been diagnosed with a rare disease, your physician must indicate as such (as listed in NORD's Rare Disease Database). If your child has an undiagnosed disease, please check out this SOLVE toolkit provided by the Children's Rare Disease Network. Please also consider sharing video with us so that your story may help others, bring awareness to your illness, etc.! Employees and Board members of the organization and their immediate family members are disqualified from requesting financial assistance. |
(3) When are financial assistance grants made? MarbleRoad will accept applications year round, and financial assistance may be paid throughout the year. Financial assistance grants, if awarded, will be announced publicly three times per year:
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(4) I have applied and was not awarded a financial assistance grant, may I submit another application for financial assistance? No, only one application will be accepted per individual. Your application will be kept on file and considered for 2 years from date of submission. |
(5) May I receive more than one financial assistance grant? No, individuals may receive only one financial assistance grant and future applications will not be considered. Multiple family members may however be considered for financial assistance grants, if more than one family member meets the requirements as set forth.
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(6) How much money will I receive as financial assistance? For the first two years of the program (2010-2012), the maximum amount an applicant may request is a financial assistance grant of $1,000. Grants lower than $1,000 will also be awarded. The maximum amount of assistance awarded to any given household is $2,500. The number of financial assistance grants awarded is dependent upon the amount of funding MarbleRoad raises, and the size and amount of grants awarded. In future years we hope to offer more than $1,000 and $2,500 respectively, as we know that some families have had more than $500,000 per year in medical expenses (sometimes paying $10,000 to $25,000 out of pocket); but as the Foundation just gets started we need to set realistic goals and ambitions.
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(7) What will financial assistance from MarbleRoad pay for? Income on a W-2, 1099 or other documents sometimes used by foundations doesn't tell a whole story. Every family has extenuating circumstances, and what we see on paper will never be the whole story. The economic recession has hit many families very hard and they will be struggling to pay off credit for many years. There are additional expenses when a family member is ill that are not always taken into account. For example, one parent may be self-employed and every time a children is ill that parent may not be able to work. MarbleRoad understands that there are obligations beyond medical bills, like mortgages, transportation, food, etc. That is why MarbleRoad pays financial assistance to individuals and families directly, for use as they see fit. As long as you demonstrate need based on medical expenses, you can use financial assistance to pay those medical expenses, or if you have already covered those costs you may use the financial assistance to pay for your other living expenses which you may have pushed off in caring for a sick family member. |
(8) What is a federally qualified community health center? From the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) website: "Health centers are community-based and patient-directed organizations that serve populations with limited access to health care. These include low income populations, the uninsured, those with limited English proficiency, migrant and seasonal farmworkers, individuals and families experiencing homelessness, and those living in public housing."
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(9) Is there a federally qualified community health center near me? Yes, there are more than 1,200 community health centers throughout the United States. To find a health center near you click here.
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(10) Are there any other ways I can get involved with MarbleRoad? We are always looking for people would like to write guest blog posts. Please also check our website regularly for updates. Don't for get to spread the word to your friends and family, and stay tuned for three big annual events: Rare Disease Day, National Health Center Week, and Make a Difference Day We are always looking for people to make a commitment to serve in their communities, thereby "sponsoring" through community service a financial assistance recipient. Share your commitment to serve with us. Feel free to contact MarbleRoad by emailing us at info@marbleroad.org.
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