Medigap insurance

longtermsurvivor
longtermsurvivor Member Posts: 1,842 Member
Had my first cancer in 1998 (base of tongue treated with radical neck dissection and radiation). Lots of speech disability persisted for years post treatment. Lost my health insurance when that company went bankrupt. No one would then underwrite me, of course. I was 45 at the time.

I eventually qualified for Social Security Disability, and got Medicare coverage that way, however the state I lived in did not have an automatic qualification period to buy gap coverage, so I'm exposed to significant health care bills despite my Medicare.

Fast forward 13 years: I've had cardiac interventions (mildly expensive). Then last year I had a second cancer (floor of mouth) treated with radical surgery and vascular grafting. Moderately expensive. Unfortunately now I've developed a third cancer (oro and nasopharynx) and am a few courses into my chemotherapy and there is radiaion planned again. The chemo is going to be very expensive, especially the erbitux, and a whole bunch of that will again be out of pocket.

I'm being treated about six hours from where I live, so we are actually moving to where the treatment facility is. All of this finally gets to my question:

The state we are moving to has an automatic enrollment period for medigap coverage for those of us who qualify for Medicare due to disability under age 65. But we have thusfar been unable to learn whether I can buy it. We get severl different answers from the insurance commissioner's office. The AARP help people are baffled, and even the hospital social services has been unable to find us useful information.

What we are being told is that I would have had to apply for this coverage within 60 days of obtaining Medicare. But since I didn't LIVE in this state then, that wouldn't have been possible. Just looking for experience here. If anyone else has run into this problem and solved it, or not, please drop me a note.

thanks.

Comments

  • ratface
    ratface Member Posts: 1,337 Member
    Don't know a thing
    about your question but glad to see you posting on the boards. Anyone who can survive all that awful crap and be in good spirits is welcome here!
  • Hal61
    Hal61 Member Posts: 655
    Baffled
    Hello Longterm, ditto what Ratrick says, you're a Survivor, and I wish the public could hear your story as opposed to the amazing recovery stories they are routinely fed.

    But, that doesn't solve your problem. You're situation is a tangle, and I hope someone here can speak to your particular situation. I haven't been in your spot, but I have slogged through similar quaqmires that are the result of different agencies, services, and jurisdictions serving up dumb looks when asked to resolve an issue such as yours.

    My advice would be to go higher in your effort to get a ruling. Try and identify a person or two that is in a position to make a decision, that's who you need. I've had luck with this, and I hope you do.

    best, Hal
  • longtermsurvivor
    longtermsurvivor Member Posts: 1,842 Member
    Hal61 said:

    Baffled
    Hello Longterm, ditto what Ratrick says, you're a Survivor, and I wish the public could hear your story as opposed to the amazing recovery stories they are routinely fed.

    But, that doesn't solve your problem. You're situation is a tangle, and I hope someone here can speak to your particular situation. I haven't been in your spot, but I have slogged through similar quaqmires that are the result of different agencies, services, and jurisdictions serving up dumb looks when asked to resolve an issue such as yours.

    My advice would be to go higher in your effort to get a ruling. Try and identify a person or two that is in a position to make a decision, that's who you need. I've had luck with this, and I hope you do.

    best, Hal

    trying to figure out who the higher is.....
    Gottcha. I wonder if this is something one of my Congressmen might want to look at. They seem to like things where a phone call or two can make a happy constituent. Anyway, we've learned to keep turning the rocks over until something climbs out.

    You know, my case isn't all that common, I'm told. I've probably had three separate primary cancers, as opposed to recurrances. The "field theory" personified, that's me. Thanks for the genetic codes I inherited, mom and dad, but they didn't make me smoke, now did they?
    Kinda wish I had that one back sometimes.

    At the same time, I just keep going back and doing what I have to. Geez, I rehabilitated myself after the surgery of last winter, was actually back to running five miles a day in the mountains. Had just run the day before my diagnosis. The chemo has already taken that vigor out of me, but who knows, maybe I'll be back to it in the spring. What really disappoints me is I had a 220 mile hike planned spanning the Ozark Highlands Trail this winter. That's off, at least for now....
  • luv4lacrosse
    luv4lacrosse Member Posts: 1,410 Member

    trying to figure out who the higher is.....
    Gottcha. I wonder if this is something one of my Congressmen might want to look at. They seem to like things where a phone call or two can make a happy constituent. Anyway, we've learned to keep turning the rocks over until something climbs out.

    You know, my case isn't all that common, I'm told. I've probably had three separate primary cancers, as opposed to recurrances. The "field theory" personified, that's me. Thanks for the genetic codes I inherited, mom and dad, but they didn't make me smoke, now did they?
    Kinda wish I had that one back sometimes.

    At the same time, I just keep going back and doing what I have to. Geez, I rehabilitated myself after the surgery of last winter, was actually back to running five miles a day in the mountains. Had just run the day before my diagnosis. The chemo has already taken that vigor out of me, but who knows, maybe I'll be back to it in the spring. What really disappoints me is I had a 220 mile hike planned spanning the Ozark Highlands Trail this winter. That's off, at least for now....

    I NOTICED THE HIKE IN THE OZARK HIGHLANDS
    DO YOU LIVE IN MISSOURI??

    IF SO, WHERE??

    I LIVE IN EUREKA MO ABOUT 27 MILES FROM DOWNTOWN ST LOUIS.

    GO CARDS!!!

    MIKE
  • ratface
    ratface Member Posts: 1,337 Member

    I NOTICED THE HIKE IN THE OZARK HIGHLANDS
    DO YOU LIVE IN MISSOURI??

    IF SO, WHERE??

    I LIVE IN EUREKA MO ABOUT 27 MILES FROM DOWNTOWN ST LOUIS.

    GO CARDS!!!

    MIKE

    "Field theory"
    I am one of those also and most likely why HPV cancers fair better with treatment since many "field theorist" just keep feeding the filed after treatment.
  • longtermsurvivor
    longtermsurvivor Member Posts: 1,842 Member

    I NOTICED THE HIKE IN THE OZARK HIGHLANDS
    DO YOU LIVE IN MISSOURI??

    IF SO, WHERE??

    I LIVE IN EUREKA MO ABOUT 27 MILES FROM DOWNTOWN ST LOUIS.

    GO CARDS!!!

    MIKE

    you have mail
    if I can figure out how to use it.
  • longtermsurvivor
    longtermsurvivor Member Posts: 1,842 Member
    ratface said:

    "Field theory"
    I am one of those also and most likely why HPV cancers fair better with treatment since many "field theorist" just keep feeding the filed after treatment.

    now that was funny
    If it didn't hurt so much I'd laugh:) My malignancies have never been HPV tested. My ex says my getting these was just God's way of rewarding me. But that's why she's an ex, after all.
  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    ratface said:

    Don't know a thing
    about your question but glad to see you posting on the boards. Anyone who can survive all that awful crap and be in good spirits is welcome here!

    Hi Longtermsurvivor
    Wow man you sure seemed to have hit a brick wall every time you turned around. I don’t know much about Medicare yet and hope it can stay that way for a few more years so I can’t help there. But on your new cancer of the nasopharynx I can help. Here we call it NPC and I and about 8 more people here had it and are now survivors of it. I am the only one that I know of that had a recurring of NPC and have been treated twice for it. I do hope you get some help soon and get things moving in the right direction. Also would like to welcome you to the head & Neck side of CSN.

    Wishing you all the best
    Hondo
  • denistd
    denistd Member Posts: 597

    you have mail
    if I can figure out how to use it.

    Medigap
    Hi longterm, you referred to being on medicare, I think you are really on Medicaid, could be wrong. You probably won't be able to get commercial insurance (medigap)however the State you have moved to will probably have a program, problem there is, the states are all broke and have a long list of people waiting for aid. As for the cost of things, I can empathize woth you, in 2008 I had emergency heart surgery and carotid surgery and I had no insurance at the time. I worked with each creditor and got a lot written off, but not all. It left me broke and disilussioned, I sold my house etc, but the economic housing disaster had started and I was heading for under water, thankfully somebody came along that bought the house. I got cancer in 2009 but was covered by medicare and a supplemental at that time, but the ongoing costs are still repressive. But check with state and the congressman. Good luck. Denis
  • longtermsurvivor
    longtermsurvivor Member Posts: 1,842 Member
    denistd said:

    Medigap
    Hi longterm, you referred to being on medicare, I think you are really on Medicaid, could be wrong. You probably won't be able to get commercial insurance (medigap)however the State you have moved to will probably have a program, problem there is, the states are all broke and have a long list of people waiting for aid. As for the cost of things, I can empathize woth you, in 2008 I had emergency heart surgery and carotid surgery and I had no insurance at the time. I worked with each creditor and got a lot written off, but not all. It left me broke and disilussioned, I sold my house etc, but the economic housing disaster had started and I was heading for under water, thankfully somebody came along that bought the house. I got cancer in 2009 but was covered by medicare and a supplemental at that time, but the ongoing costs are still repressive. But check with state and the congressman. Good luck. Denis

    I sometimes wish it was medicaid...
    But I'm on Social Security Disability, with Part A and B Medicare (also partD) as a result. I don't qualify for Medicaid, as my SS income puts me a couple of dollars above the cut-off. The more I think about it, the more I think trying to enlist the help of a congressman is a good idea. I just pretty much fall through the cracks right now. These health care debacles have eaten away at my assets till there's not much left. I imagine that's a familiar theme around here.