Should be a happy day, but I'm too upset to enjoy it.
Hugs
Jamie
Comments
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Hi Jamie,
I'm sorry your last day of rads is tainted by financial issues. Not the least of cancer's burdens is the financial one. I can definitely relate. But don't despair, there may be solutions here. Just because you have insurance does not mean you can't get outside assistance to help with the co-pays. Please first make sure that you owe a co-pay for each treatment. This sounds fishy to me, but insurance companies are all different. You may be able to go on a payment plan with the hospital and, like I said, there are organizations that can help with co-pays. Call the American Cancer Society to get references. Don't let this ruin your day -- you have just been through a very difficult experience and come out on the other side. You deserve to celebrate.
Mimi0 -
My advice
Write a letter (do not call) a letter to your insurance company asking for an explanation. Also, I would make an appt to meet with the hospital and talk with someone in the finance dept about setting up a payment plan. If you get no response there, ask for an appt with the hospital social worker. Most hospitals are willing to work with you. Good luck!0 -
Great suggestion ... Cypress CynthiaCypressCynthia said:My advice
Write a letter (do not call) a letter to your insurance company asking for an explanation. Also, I would make an appt to meet with the hospital and talk with someone in the finance dept about setting up a payment plan. If you get no response there, ask for an appt with the hospital social worker. Most hospitals are willing to work with you. Good luck!
Let us know if the finance department is willing to work with you, and I would check with the American Cancer Society - ask them if they have alternative sources for you.
Vicki Sam0 -
Jamie, I agree with Mimi
Jamie, I agree with Mimi that it sounds "fishy" that you have to pay a co-pay for each visit for your daily rads treatment. I have BCBS and was afraid that I may have this same issue. I was NEVER charged a co-pay from my rads onc. I did however have to pay a co-pay each time I had chemo and again the next day when I went back in for the Nuelasta shot. I thought that was strange too considering all the $$$$ that were charged for chemo and the shot. Don't worry about it but instead write or call and if needed, get some financial assistance. Spend today celebrating that you have finished another milestone in your battle with the beast. YOU are the WINNER here!!0 -
Please don't let this ruin
Please don't let this ruin your day. You have completed rads you should celebrate you cleared that hurdle so congrats. Talk to the finacial person tell them you can not afford to pay ask them about directing you to some financial assistance. Call insurance person to make sure this is correct, $25 per treatment. If you do have to pay set up payments. Don't be depressed you are worth more than $750. Between me, and my husband we will be oweing the hospital payments for 3 years, so what at least we are alive and healthy. I feel blessed to live in a country where we can get the best care. I feel blessed to have insurance to get all the care I or my family needs. I would pay any amount if it meant the quality of my love ones lives. I'm sure your husband feels the same.
Take a breath, ask God to help you, then take the necessary steps needed.0 -
all good advice, celebratems.sunshine said:Please don't let this ruin
Please don't let this ruin your day. You have completed rads you should celebrate you cleared that hurdle so congrats. Talk to the finacial person tell them you can not afford to pay ask them about directing you to some financial assistance. Call insurance person to make sure this is correct, $25 per treatment. If you do have to pay set up payments. Don't be depressed you are worth more than $750. Between me, and my husband we will be oweing the hospital payments for 3 years, so what at least we are alive and healthy. I feel blessed to live in a country where we can get the best care. I feel blessed to have insurance to get all the care I or my family needs. I would pay any amount if it meant the quality of my love ones lives. I'm sure your husband feels the same.
Take a breath, ask God to help you, then take the necessary steps needed.
all good advice, celebrate and enjoy your last treatment day. You deserve it!!!10 -
Don't let finances ruin you celebration
Congrats on finishing rads. Please enjoy that feeling. We've all been there with the financial burden. Call your insurance company to make sure the billing is correct; then call your hospital billing people and get on a payment plan. After that, try to adopt the "you can only get what I can give you each month" philosophy. We all understand how expensive our treatment is to the hospitals who provide us with a wonderful medical team and state-of-the-art machines, drugs, etc, but the fact still remains that even with insurance cancer costs way more than any one of us ever dreamed. We can only pay as much as we can when we can.
Please enjoy your rad grad and don't let the finances get you. It will all work out.
marge0 -
My insurance paid for chemo
My insurance paid for chemo except for a co-pay to see the onc. But the insurance charged us a bunch (deductable and 20%) for the radiation. I called to see what was going on and the chemo was billed thru the hospital which was covered 100% but the radiation was billed thru a third party (private company even tho in the same building) and we had to pay more. So I called the billing office which was the hospital and they let me make payments. It is confusing that I'm billed thru the hospital but it was a private company???? They kept messing up my bill too so make sure you keep good records. I'm starting to think the radiation machine was privately owned. I saw an article on that. Maybe that is why they billed it differently. I'm talking about mine, don't know about yours.
Good luck and congrats on finishing!0 -
Jamie im sorry about the
Jamie im sorry about the co-pay troubles...yes your hubby im sure works hard for his money and i think he loves you enough he would do it again to keep you around...so please dont be down on yourslf thinking you are just a burden to him. Im sure he doesnt feel that way.
Go celebrate you deserve it and so does hubby!0 -
I am so sorry Jamie thatjo jo said:Jamie im sorry about the
Jamie im sorry about the co-pay troubles...yes your hubby im sure works hard for his money and i think he loves you enough he would do it again to keep you around...so please dont be down on yourslf thinking you are just a burden to him. Im sure he doesnt feel that way.
Go celebrate you deserve it and so does hubby!
I am so sorry Jamie that this insurance has messed up what should be a very happy day for you. I hope you get it straightened out.
Congrats on being a Rad Grad!0 -
I had something similarDianeBC said:I am so sorry Jamie that
I am so sorry Jamie that this insurance has messed up what should be a very happy day for you. I hope you get it straightened out.
Congrats on being a Rad Grad!
I was near the end of rads when I found out I owed 50 bucks a day, every day I went in. That's seven weeks, 35 of 'em. I called up, freaked out. A very calm, loving person told me I can pay what I can as I can. That's what I do. Same with the hospital. They accepted a very reasonable payment plan. Which helps with the other providers who are not as kind or patient. It felt overwhelming at first, but as with so many things, the feeling passed and I do what I can.
Glad you're almost done!!
xo
Victoria0 -
Hi
I know how upsetting the cumulative cost of copays can be. We have by most stands, an excellent health care plan. Our out of pocket cost last year, while I was in cancer treatment, were $13,000. But you can't put a price on your life and I'm sure your husband would give what ever it took just to have you with him. God Bless you, hope you feel better.0 -
"(webbwife50 said:Hi
I know how upsetting the cumulative cost of copays can be. We have by most stands, an excellent health care plan. Our out of pocket cost last year, while I was in cancer treatment, were $13,000. But you can't put a price on your life and I'm sure your husband would give what ever it took just to have you with him. God Bless you, hope you feel better.
I feel so bad for you. This should be such a happy day... The end of radiation treatments is a HUGE deal and you did it! For that, I am so proud of you!
Darn these stupid insurance companies! It just is not fair..not at all! I hope that with all of the suggestions above that you can get a resolution to this in your favor.
And, like everyone wrote, you know your husband wants you to have anything and everything to help with your fight of breast cancer.
Please put a smile on your face for being a Rad Grad!
Sue
0 -
Please take
the time to celebrate that your rads are over. You deserve some happy "me" time. The bills will still be there. Your post actually made me think about whether I need to have a copay every single time I go to the hospital too - for blood work, etc. Thank goodness my copay is only $15 but that certainly adds up. I still don't know if I need rads yet. I start chemo 8/10/10. I agree too about working out a payment plan with the hospital and to see if ACS has other resources. Good luck.
Char0 -
Congrats on finishing rads!mwallace1325 said:Don't let finances ruin you celebration
Congrats on finishing rads. Please enjoy that feeling. We've all been there with the financial burden. Call your insurance company to make sure the billing is correct; then call your hospital billing people and get on a payment plan. After that, try to adopt the "you can only get what I can give you each month" philosophy. We all understand how expensive our treatment is to the hospitals who provide us with a wonderful medical team and state-of-the-art machines, drugs, etc, but the fact still remains that even with insurance cancer costs way more than any one of us ever dreamed. We can only pay as much as we can when we can.
Please enjoy your rad grad and don't let the finances get you. It will all work out.
marge
Congrats on finishing rads! Hoping it does feel good.
Sorry about the insurance and your finances.
Hugs,Megan0 -
Hugs~Hugs~Hugs
Jamie first and foremost CONGRATULATIONS ON FINISHING RADS! Please, please, please do not let this big bump ruin your right to celebrate your accomplishment in your fight for against cancer. That said please make sure your insurance company has not made an error as they most certainly are capable of errors! If in fact it is correct I am pretty sure a payment plan can be arranged for you. In 99 I had finished nearly 2 years of treatment and even though my insurance paid for a lot of it there was still a chunk we had to come up with. It took 5 years and monthly payments and it was all worth it.
Jamie I cannot close this without saying I know your husband would not have wanted you to risk our health and forgo your rads because of the additional co-pays, he loves you and surely would much rather have you than the co-pay. CELEBRATE~CELEBRATE~CELEBRATE!
HUGS,
RE0 -
Make affordable payment arrangements.RE said:Hugs~Hugs~Hugs
Jamie first and foremost CONGRATULATIONS ON FINISHING RADS! Please, please, please do not let this big bump ruin your right to celebrate your accomplishment in your fight for against cancer. That said please make sure your insurance company has not made an error as they most certainly are capable of errors! If in fact it is correct I am pretty sure a payment plan can be arranged for you. In 99 I had finished nearly 2 years of treatment and even though my insurance paid for a lot of it there was still a chunk we had to come up with. It took 5 years and monthly payments and it was all worth it.
Jamie I cannot close this without saying I know your husband would not have wanted you to risk our health and forgo your rads because of the additional co-pays, he loves you and surely would much rather have you than the co-pay. CELEBRATE~CELEBRATE~CELEBRATE!
HUGS,
RE
Most of us were not aware that radiation is treated as a prescription and has a copay with each treatment. If you call the clinic/hospital where you had treatment, you can make payment arrangements as small as $20 per month. I have a $5,000 deductable so I had to pay $5,000 before anything was covered. I hit that pretty quickly then in Aug. 09 my health plan renewed so I had another 5,000 deductable. I was in the middle of my radiation treatments so I had to pay for 100% of the cost until I hit the 5,000 again. So I called and made payment arrangements I could afford. They were very nice about it.
No matter what the cost, you are worth it.
Roseann0 -
Yes, let us know if the ACSVickiSam said:Great suggestion ... Cypress Cynthia
Let us know if the finance department is willing to work with you, and I would check with the American Cancer Society - ask them if they have alternative sources for you.
Vicki Sam
Yes, let us know if the ACS can help you. I hope that they can. Congratulations on this being your last rad.
Hugs, Jan0 -
Jamie I called my insurance
company today to find out about my copays. I was told that because I see a nurse to go over labs I would have a copay for my weekly blood draws. (I normally don't have a copay for blood draws.) I have no copay for chemo or radiation but because I will see my oncologist prior to chemo then I will have a copay for just him. I assume every insurance is different but I'm sure the hospital will work something out with you. Take care and I hope you celebrated the end of rads:)
Char0 -
Char and the others are socahjah75 said:Please take
the time to celebrate that your rads are over. You deserve some happy "me" time. The bills will still be there. Your post actually made me think about whether I need to have a copay every single time I go to the hospital too - for blood work, etc. Thank goodness my copay is only $15 but that certainly adds up. I still don't know if I need rads yet. I start chemo 8/10/10. I agree too about working out a payment plan with the hospital and to see if ACS has other resources. Good luck.
Char
Char and the others are so right. Please celebrate being done with rads. Most hospitals, if not all, will allow a payment plan. Don't let that ruin what you have accomplished!0
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