Told to me by a good friend who's struggling:
She went to the dentist for a filling that she'd been putting off because, of course, the price tag on such things is about the same as a couple of good tires. While there, the dentist said, "Gee, you're way overdue for your X-rays," which the woman knew because of the, you know, same aforementioned problem. "I mean you're, like, two years overdue." Sorry, said my friend, no way can I afford that.
Drill, drill, drill, slurp, slurp, and then she heard the dentist whisper to the technician. "Take her X-rays but don't put it on her bill." And thus another person bent the rules to help out someone in need. Very very nice.