You would think that after almost 5 years I'd have nothing more to say on the issue of getting treated for cancer. Alas, that is not the case.
Treatments may be over but my lasting effects are far from gone. We're not talking lasting effects as far as my health goes, I'm talking about the lasting effect cancer had on my Insurance coverage.
My insurance has been a mess ever since I was first diagnosed. My insurance cancelled on my as I was taken in to the emergency room for the first time. They said I wasn't covered outside of New York and they cancelled me on the spot.
I was changed over to another provider that same night but my parents paid much more because I had a pre-existing condition. The company didn't want to cover half my scans and tests and my mother used to spend hours on the phone fighting the charges.
When I got married my husband and I went on the same plan and it's still a fortune cos of my condition. They refuse to pay anything unless I personally call them and tell them that under so and so clause of so and so law in my contract, they had to cover me.
And let's not forget about the co-pays!!! I went to the pharmcay to pick up a perscription and realized that the co pay was more than the actual medicine! I offered to pay for it myself- I need this insurance like a hole in the head.
My husband is into the idea of getting each of us a life insurance policy- of course, he's been trying to get one on me for a long time but these companies charge a fortune to insure someone with a pre-existing condition.
If I have to go to yet another life insurance company and take yet another blood test and EKG and urine sample, I will sue them all.
This week I find out that I am no longer on any insurance plan. The one I was on with my husband is up for renewal and we just found out that the payroll we had been on cut us off six months ago.
Being on a company's payroll list is so that we could apply for insurance with a group and that makes it cheaper cos the companies assume that if you are on payroll you are well enough to work and that makes is much less likely that they will ever have to shell out money for you.
So now that we have to renew our policy we have to show that we are on payroll but because we are not anymore and we were never notified that we were being cut off, we cannot renew our policy and we can't get COBRA cos we would have had to apply for that as soon as we were cut off.
So now I need to go for checkups in one month and if I don't get onto an insurance plan within 20 days I will have to apply for insurance as a brand new patient which means that they can reject me or raise my rates for my pre-existing condition yet again.
This is EXACTLY what I need erev Pesach!
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8 comments:
Oh sheesh!
Sorry :(
Hope everything works out smoothly...
yup, i know exactly how u feel, can totally relate! i was getting insurance from the govt and found out i might be cut off around the time i'm gonna be having a baby...so i might end up paying for the delivery if i'm late (in which case i'll try to have a natural birth to make it cheaper :) ) i'm trying to get on a cheaper plan, like healthy ny... how can you do this payroll thing? anyways, wish you all the luck in the world, and just letting you know you're not alone!!! ;)
Sorry for all your trouble, hope everything gets worked out.
Im so excited for you about your book and I think it will be a big success.
miss you, have a great Pesach
Sorry. I wish I had some advice on solving this huge problem.
I remember hearing years ago about a group in Williamsburg that helps get medical coverage for people undergoing treatment but I don't remember any of the details or if they were strictly helping during treatment or after treatment too.
Perhaps ECHO or Bikur Cholim have resources to help with these problems.
Chag Kasher VeSamai'ach. Enjoy that cute little kid before she learns how to talk. It is all downhill from there.
Or as a friend of mine says: When the kids were babies they were so yummy I could have eaten them. Now that they are teenagers I wish that I had. :-)
The middle class always gets stuck between a rock and a hard place. You either need to extremely affluent and afford the best insurance or so poor that you qualify for Medicaid.
Lol, maybe you'd be better off if your husband was learning in BMG, so you can just go to Chemed clinic, and JJersy Care pays for everything..
I recently had a miscarriage, and the only silver lining to this otherwise dark cloud was that I was able to see the best OB/GYNs in the country without having to pay anything...
Hope Pesach is nice and it all works out for you...
Channy
I'm sure you know this but in case some of your readers don't, Chai Lifeline offers help negotiating with insurance companies and bills.
could you please post. Why am i always the one that has to urge you to keep on posting. I mean com on
group in Williamsburg
Rofeh Cholim Cancer Society RCCS - not sure what exactly they provide or for whom exactly.
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