Treating NSCLC-along with long term health coverage.

mind boggling
mind boggling Member Posts: 16

Am I correct in thinking treasting this lung cancer is a life long treatment. I am hoping and feel like I can live past the five year mark. What about long term health care coverage to continue with treatment of a diagonosis such as this?

Comments

  • Ex_Rock_n_Roller
    Ex_Rock_n_Roller Member Posts: 281 Member
    I'd try to think more along the lines of ...

    ... success (i.e. remission) from first-line treatment, but there are a number of us with a few years under our belt who are on some maintenance regimen or another, Xalkori in my case. I can't speak to the many other maintenance treatment options, but I'd certainly be happy to stay on Xalkori for as many years as it continues to work. It's definitely livable, at least so far. When it comes to long-term treatment, you're typically fighting either toxicity to your system or decreasing effectiveness. If either of those things happens, life-long treatment becomes more problematic.

    Re. long-term health care coverage, I assume you're talking about something other than normal health insurance. I'm pretty sure Obamacare has made it more difficult or impossible for insurance companies to outright deny people with pre-existing conditions, but if you're talking about some kind of add-on policy that covers expensive unforeseen circumstances, I'd say it would be a seriously uphill battle if not an impossibility to get coverage, for the same reason that nobody's going to sell you a life insurance policy: insurance companies aren't in the business of making bets that they're almost certain to lose. At the very least, the pricetag would be eye-popping.

    Keep up the optimistic attitude; it will serve you well!

     

  • mind boggling
    mind boggling Member Posts: 16

    I'd try to think more along the lines of ...

    ... success (i.e. remission) from first-line treatment, but there are a number of us with a few years under our belt who are on some maintenance regimen or another, Xalkori in my case. I can't speak to the many other maintenance treatment options, but I'd certainly be happy to stay on Xalkori for as many years as it continues to work. It's definitely livable, at least so far. When it comes to long-term treatment, you're typically fighting either toxicity to your system or decreasing effectiveness. If either of those things happens, life-long treatment becomes more problematic.

    Re. long-term health care coverage, I assume you're talking about something other than normal health insurance. I'm pretty sure Obamacare has made it more difficult or impossible for insurance companies to outright deny people with pre-existing conditions, but if you're talking about some kind of add-on policy that covers expensive unforeseen circumstances, I'd say it would be a seriously uphill battle if not an impossibility to get coverage, for the same reason that nobody's going to sell you a life insurance policy: insurance companies aren't in the business of making bets that they're almost certain to lose. At the very least, the pricetag would be eye-popping.

    Keep up the optimistic attitude; it will serve you well!

     

    Thanks for the response.....I

    Thanks for the response.....I am hoping to do as well as you have.........though it is much to process. Make it a good day.......