Finances and glioma

I_Promise

Hello,

Since glioma (my sister has an AA 3) cannot be cured at this point but may be treated as a chronic condition, can someone tell me how to prepare financially at this point? I want my sister never to have to think about money on top of fighting for her life. I want to be the one that will deal insurance companies, bills, experimental treatments etc...
This is a new diagnosis. What I am I to expect? I want to be as ready as possible. Should I start a fund? Raise money? Anyone with some insight, I would really appreciate it.

Julia

DistancerunnerXC

It's time to live like a spartan
Everything that I have is going to my wifes GBM treatment..EVERYTHING.
Hopefully, you have insurance that will see you through this.
If possible, have your loved one go on disability social security.
The main reason is, that after 2 years of being on social security disability, your loved one will be automatically enrolled in medicare which will be a great relief.
With that out of the way, hopefully, you have taken your loved one to one of the BEST places that deal with brain cancer.
There are about 20 of them and hopefully you have not been talked in to being treated at some local place not specializing in brain cancer who may have coin operated MRI machines (just kidding there)
I take my wife 1500 miles away..
That is expensive.
Make up your mind that this is going to be a LONG battle and dedicate everything to it.
As a long distance runner, I used to buy shoes, 2 pair every 6 months.
Now, I save quarters ina coffee can and buy one pair a year..
that's just an example.
I only sopend money on 3 things:
1. Health care
2. Home repair
3. car repair
Anything else gets shoved off until this is over..
I did retire and that may even have been a mistake.
Keep in touch with your insurance company..
Whenever the doc suggests a therapy, talk to someone personally to insure that your covered..
And hopefully, you have a good company....

Best of luck!

palmyrafan

Frugal
This is a great time to start taking charge. Save those pennies, they do add up. Have time to clip coupons? Clip them and use them for everything!!! Groceries, home maintenance (if you can't get it fixed yourself), car repair, etc.

Next, see if you can get a Patient Advocate at the Insurance company (if she has one). My husband is the go-to guy for all things having to do with doctor's appts and insurance. He takes me to every doctor's appt (he drives) and we have a patient advocate/representative at Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ who is our rep when our claims come in. We talk to her if the claims get denied and she finds out why and gets them approved. They have flagged my name and id # so that when claims come in, they should go to her directly instead of the "flavor-of-the-month" claim representative.

We save money by eating all our meals at home. No eating out, not even for an ice cream cone. We started doing some comparison shopping and realized that for one nice shrimp dinner at a chain restaurant, we were paying between ($15-30 per meal) x 2 = $30-60. That didn't include drinks, dessert or a tip. We found that by buying the same thing at the grocery, we could get 1 nice filet (halibut, salmon, sole, etc.) for 1/2 the cost, throw in some rice (pennies on the dollar), water to drink (free) and no tip and we saved $$$$$. Now do this for a month and watch the savings pile up.

As for the doctors? Go to the best doctors you can find, travel to and can afford. It really does make a difference. You want someone who does these surgeries 3-4 times per week, not 3-4 times per quarter or per year. Also, make sure the doctors (all of them) are Board Certified. This ensures that the doctors are up to date on all the new technology and advancements that have been made in the field.

Good luck!

Teresa

I_Promise

palmyrafan said:

Frugal
This is a great time to start taking charge. Save those pennies, they do add up. Have time to clip coupons? Clip them and use them for everything!!! Groceries, home maintenance (if you can't get it fixed yourself), car repair, etc.

Next, see if you can get a Patient Advocate at the Insurance company (if she has one). My husband is the go-to guy for all things having to do with doctor's appts and insurance. He takes me to every doctor's appt (he drives) and we have a patient advocate/representative at Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ who is our rep when our claims come in. We talk to her if the claims get denied and she finds out why and gets them approved. They have flagged my name and id # so that when claims come in, they should go to her directly instead of the "flavor-of-the-month" claim representative.

We save money by eating all our meals at home. No eating out, not even for an ice cream cone. We started doing some comparison shopping and realized that for one nice shrimp dinner at a chain restaurant, we were paying between ($15-30 per meal) x 2 = $30-60. That didn't include drinks, dessert or a tip. We found that by buying the same thing at the grocery, we could get 1 nice filet (halibut, salmon, sole, etc.) for 1/2 the cost, throw in some rice (pennies on the dollar), water to drink (free) and no tip and we saved $$$$$. Now do this for a month and watch the savings pile up.

As for the doctors? Go to the best doctors you can find, travel to and can afford. It really does make a difference. You want someone who does these surgeries 3-4 times per week, not 3-4 times per quarter or per year. Also, make sure the doctors (all of them) are Board Certified. This ensures that the doctors are up to date on all the new technology and advancements that have been made in the field.

Good luck!

Teresa

Thank you for the advice
I am and will dedicate everything to my sister's treatment. The idea of getting a patient advocate at bluecross/blueshield is very good and I will look into it. Thank you again.

Julia