Patients Are Turning To GoFundMe To Fill Health Insurance Gaps

Tammy Fox wanted to help, after a friend took ill with a rare and difficult-to-diagnose autoimmune disorder that required many trips to the Mayo Clinic.

While Fox couldn't do anything medically, she knew there was a way to ease some of the burden of medical bills and costs associated with doctor visits. She turned to the website GoFundMe and set up a site for her friend.

"You've got meals; you've got hotel stays," she says. "And gas. So that all needed to be covered."

Contributions came in from strangers, notes Fox, who lives in suburban Minneapolis. "It's crazy cool how awesome people are and what they're willing to give. People, when they come together, can just move mountains — and I think that's awesome to see."