Crowdfunding for Heart Surgery: How to Raise Funds for Cardiac Treatment
When you or your loved one needs immediate cardiac surgery or treatment, the first question that comes to mind is – ‘Will this cure the condition completely?’. The second question is often – ‘How am I going to manage the treatment cost?’. For many middle-class families this is the reality. Heart surgeries and treatment can become financially overwhelming, especially when insurance, savings, and government schemes are not enough to cover the entire cost.
Around 1,800+ families have crowdfunded for heart-related procedures on Milaap. For families who don’t have enough money to cover the full cost of treatment, crowdfunding can become a way to seek financial support from friends, family, and wider community.
But starting a fundraiser can also raise a lot of questions: How much should you ask for? What documents do you need? How do you explain your situation to potential donors? And what can you do if insurance or other sources of financial assistance don’t cover the full cost?
In this guide, we’ll look at how medical crowdfunding works, what documents you need, how to create a trustworthy fundraiser, and other financial assistance options you can explore alongside crowdfunding.
What Is Crowdfunding for Heart Surgery?
Crowdfunding for heart surgery simply means raising funds online by asking a large group of people to make small financial contributions. These funds can help cover the cost of various heart-related procedures, ICU stays, consumables, implants, and other treatment-related expenses when insurance, savings, and government assistance fall short.
A patient, family member, friend, or caregiver can start a fundraiser on behalf of someone who needs treatment, depending on the platform’s requirements.
When Can Crowdfunding Help Pay for Heart Surgery?
Crowdfunding can help when the cost of heart treatment is more than what a family can manage through their existing financial resources. This may happen when a patient does not have insurance, when insurance covers only part of the treatment, or when savings and government assistance are not enough to meet the remaining expenses.
It can be useful for different types of heart-related treatment, including bypass surgery, valve replacement, congenital heart surgery, and other major cardiac procedures. The funds raised can also help with expenses that come along with treatment, such as ICU stays, medicines, implants, diagnostic tests, and follow-up care.
In some cases, families may not need to raise the entire cost of treatment. Crowdfunding can also help bridge the gap between the total treatment cost and the amount covered through insurance, savings, government schemes, or other sources of financial assistance.
What Heart Surgery Expenses Can You Raise Money For?
Families may use crowdfunding to help meet expenses related to several types of heart treatment, including hospitalisation, ICU care, medicines, investigations, and other related expenses. Depending on the patient’s condition and the platform’s requirements, families may raise funds for procedures such as:
- Bypass surgery (CABG)
- Valve replacement or repair
- Angioplasty and other cardiac procedures
- Congenital heart surgery
- Pediatric heart surgery
- Heart transplant
- Post-surgery and ICU care
How Much Should You Raise for Heart Surgery?
Based on 1,783 heart-related campaigns hosted on Milaap, the median campaign goal is around ₹4.5 lakh, while the average campaign goal is around ₹6.5 lakh. These figures do not represent the total cost of heart surgery. Instead, they represent the amount families typically need to raise after accounting for insurance, government schemes, and their own savings.
The estimation given by the hospital is not always the final cost of treatment. Most of the time, additional tests, medicines, longer hospital or ICU stays, complications, and other treatment-related expenses can increase the final bill.
So, to account for these unexpected expenses, we recommend adding 10% to 20% to the hospital’s estimated treatment cost when setting a fundraising goal. This can help reduce the chances of running out of funds at the last minute.
How to Start a Heart Surgery Fundraiser?
Starting a fundraiser begins with understanding how much you need to raise and gathering the information required for verification. On Milaap, the fundraising process involves sharing details about the patient’s treatment, the hospital’s cost estimate, and the required supporting documents.
Step 1: Start with the hospital’s estimate and calculate the amount remaining after insurance, savings, government assistance, or other confirmed support.
Step 2: Keep the required medical reports, treatment estimates and identity documents ready. They may be required during the verification process.
Step 3: Provide the required patient and treatment details and submit the fundraiser for review.
Step 4: Once the fundraiser is live, share it with family, friends, colleagues and your wider community. You can also ask people who support the campaign to share it further.
Step 5: As treatment progresses, share relevant updates with donors so they know how the patient is doing and how the funds are being used.
Documents Required for a Heart Surgery Fundraiser
To verify a medical fundraiser, Milaap may require documents that establish the patient’s condition, treatment requirement and identity. The exact documents required can vary depending on the campaign and its circumstances.
The documents you need to start a fundraiser are:
- Estimation letter: If available, an estimate from the hospital outlining the expected treatment cost.
- Medical bills: Bills for treatment or expenses that have already been obtained.
- Medical documents: Relevant reports and documents that explain the patient’s condition and recommended treatment.
- Identity documents: Identity proof of the patient and/or the person organising the fundraiser, as required for verification.
How to Build Trust in Your Fundraiser
When you’re raising money for someone you know, your friends and family may already understand the situation. But people outside your immediate circle may not know the patient or the circumstances. Providing clear and consistent information can help them understand why you’re raising funds and decide whether they want to contribute.
Transparency is a very important part in building trust. So be transparent about your financial need, explain the remaining treatment cost after insurance, savings and other assistance. Keep your information consistent. The treatment details, fundraising goal and updates should reflect the patient’s actual situation.
Share regular updates, letting donors know about important developments during treatment. This helps them stay informed about the patient’s progress and how the funds are being used.
A simple acknowledgement can go a long way towards maintaining a connection with people who supported the campaign, so thank your donors always.
Financial Assistance Options for Heart Surgery
Crowdfunding is not the only option available to families struggling with the cost of heart treatment. Depending on the patient’s eligibility and circumstances, financial support may also be available through government health schemes, hospitals, NGOs, charitable organisations, and CSR programmes. Exploring these options alongside crowdfunding can help reduce the amount a family needs to raise.
Government health schemes
Eligible patients may be able to use government health schemes to cover some or all of their treatment costs. The coverage, eligibility criteria, and list of empanelled hospitals vary depending on the scheme and the patient’s state or category.
- Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY: Provides ₹5 lakh per eligible family, per year. Check your eligibility through beneficiary.nha.gov.in
- Health Minister’s Discretionary Grant: Provides one-time financial assistance of up to ₹1.25 lakh for families with annual income of ₹1.25 lakh or less who are undergoing treatment for life-threatening diseases, including major heart diseases.
- Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi: Provides one-time financial assistance up to ₹15 lakh for BPL families getting treated at central government hospitals. You can apply for this scheme through the hospital’s medical superintendent at mohfw.gov.in
Hospital financial assistance
Some hospitals have charitable funds, subsidised treatment programmes, or social-work departments that may provide financial assistance to patients who cannot afford the full cost of treatment. If you’re struggling to meet the hospital bill, ask the hospital’s billing or social-work department whether any financial assistance is available.
NGOs and charitable organizations
Some NGOs and charitable organisations provide financial assistance for medical treatment, including heart-related conditions. The type and amount of support available can vary, and organisations may have their own eligibility criteria and application process.
CSR Programmes
Some companies support medical treatment through their corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes. This assistance may be provided through hospitals, NGOs, or other organisations, and availability and eligibility can vary. Families can ask their treating hospital or relevant organisations whether any CSR-funded medical assistance is available.
These sources of assistance can sometimes cover only part of the treatment cost. If there is still a gap after using insurance, savings, government schemes, or other available support, medical crowdfunding can help families seek contributions from a wider community.
What Happens After You Start Raising Funds?
Once your fundraiser is live, the next step is to share it with people who may be able to support the patient. Start with family, friends, colleagues, and your wider community, and encourage them to share the fundraiser with others.
As donations come in, keep the campaign updated about important developments in the patient’s treatment. If the treatment cost changes or additional expenses arise, update the fundraiser so donors have a clear understanding of the patient’s situation.
If additional documents or information are required during the process, providing them promptly can help avoid unnecessary delays.
What If You Don't Reach Your Fundraising Goal?
Not every fundraiser reaches its target immediately, and some may not reach the full amount needed for treatment. If you’re still short of your goal, you can continue sharing the fundraiser and encourage existing supporters to help spread the word.
If the patient’s treatment plan or expenses change, update the fundraiser accordingly. At the same time, continue exploring other sources of financial assistance, such as insurance, government schemes, hospital support, or charitable organisations.
Remember that crowdfunding does not always have to cover the entire treatment cost. It can also help bridge the remaining gap after other sources of financial support have been considered.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Below is the list of common mistakes a lot of people tend to make. Avoiding those mistakes helps build credibility.
- Setting unrealistic goals: Always base your goal on the actual treatment estimate and the amount remaining after confirmed financial assistance.
- Not providing enough information: People are more likely to understand the need when the diagnosis, treatment requirement, and financial situation are explained clearly.
- Not sharing the fundraiser: Don’t assume that publishing the fundraiser means people will automatically find it. Share it with your personal network and ask supporters to share it further.
- Not posting updates: A fundraiser that hasn’t been updated for a long time can leave donors wondering what is happening. Share relevant treatment updates as the situation progresses.
- Sharing too much sensitive, personal information: Be transparent, but don’t unnecessarily share sensitive information such as financial account details or identity numbers publicly.
- Waiting until the last minute: If the treatment is planned, starting the fundraising process early can give you more time to reach potential donors quicker.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, a family member, friend, caregiver, or another person can start a fundraiser on behalf of a patient, subject to the platform’s verification requirements.
The cost of starting a medical crowdfunding campaign depends on the crowdfunding platform and its applicable fees. On Milaap, you can start a fundraiser with 0% platform fees.
Depending on the campaign, you may need medical reports, a hospital treatment estimate, medical bills, and identity documents for verification. The exact documents required can vary based on the patient’s situation and the campaign.
It can help cover some or all of the remaining treatment expenses, but there is no guarantee that a fundraiser will reach its full goal.
You can continue sharing the fundraiser, ask existing supporters to share it with their networks, and provide relevant updates about the patient’s treatment.
Yes. Depending on the patient’s treatment needs, crowdfunding can help towards related expenses such as hospitalization, ICU care, medicines, implants, diagnostic tests, and other treatment-related costs.
Be transparent about the patient’s treatment, financial need, and fundraising goal. Providing relevant medical documents, keeping campaign information consistent, and sharing genuine updates can help donors understand the situation and make an informed decision.
There is no fixed timeline for a fundraiser. The amount of time it takes to raise funds can depend on the treatment cost, urgency of the situation, the campaign’s reach, and how many people share or contribute to it.
Interactive Tool
What should you actually ask for?
Most campaigns undershoot because they only enter the hospital estimate. This worksheet adds a safety buffer for the treatment's uncertainty, then subtracts what's already covered — so the number you publish is the number you'll actually need.
