New Insurance

catfish_58
catfish_58 Member Posts: 138 Member
edited November 2013 in Head and Neck Cancer #1

I am tying to figure this new insurance out,I am six months and a few days post,Still having little or no saliva,taste comes and goes,Found out the reason why my Doctors are not giving me anymore pet scans is because my insurance will only pay for 3 of them in my lifetime.Am looking at this new insurance and am wondering if i should go cheap or triple my out of paycheck for the better stuff,Have called the insurance company and have asked about existing conditions and the new insurance is not allowed to not take you because of that.I was just trying to figure out if i needed the more expensive insurance,It's with Blue Cross Blue Shield.Question is I am not familiar with any long term medical complications that may arise or if after 1 year not to be worried about it anymore,The insurance i am looking at seems like it would cover me OK but now cost a whole lot more,If I go back to my regular insurance it still goes up a little over double the price.Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Comments

  • Ladylacy
    Ladylacy Member Posts: 773 Member
    #2
    Insurance

    Under Obamacare an insurance company has to take you with pre-existing conditions but the cost will be double and a higher out of pocket deductible before they pay anything.  Just like they have o take smokers but at a higher premium.   As far as BCBS they have always been good to me but then again I'm not fighting cancer, my husband is but so far has never had a problem regarding PET/CT scans and he is on Humana Medicare Advantage.  But I have read where a lot of insurance companies are not even approving PET scans. 

    Sorry but six months out of treatment, I'd go with the more expensive one.  My husband one year out of treatment and surgery for laryngeal cancer and was NED then he was found to have a 2nd primary at the cervical of his esophagus.  Then after more radiation and chemo, and 4 months NED it returned and spread to his lungs.  You never know what is going to happen. 

    Hard decision for you to make.  Wishing you the best -- Sharon

  • donfoo
    donfoo Member Posts: 1,771 Member
    #3
    not getting married

    I'd get the better coverage at least for now. you can always change if you feel the need becomes less.

  • katenorwood
    katenorwood Member Posts: 1,912
    #4
    hello !

    Hey I'm wondering if keeping your current insurance isn't the best option ?  You need to check with your onc's to see if they're wording things properly to your insurance company ?  Switching now I would think mix things up a bit.  And yes pre-existing shouldn't exist as of this date, but we all know we don't live in a perfect world. 

    Also, I am wondering if a PET is an absolute to check for re-occurrances or mets necessarily ?  I think used as a tool to intially dx us yes a must.  But after this ?  Please ask your drs. about this so that they understand your position.  Wishing you the best !   Katie

  • vermontgirl
    vermontgirl Member Posts: 66
    #5
    No preexisting

    My husband just switched jobs 8 months post treatment.  If you were covered by a previous insurance with no more than 62 days without insurance....then the new insurance cannot put a preexisting tag on you.  That was pre Obama care.....there is supposed to be no preexisting post Obama care as well.  Also....at Dana Farber they use PET to stage and also 3 months post treatment.....after that, they do chest X-ray once a year and every 6-9weeks a scope and exam.  They say they will catch something with scope...and PET scan was giving false positives and exposing patients to too much radiation.  Talk to your MD's about insurance options.  Ask insurance outright about preexisting.

    Kirsten

  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716
    #6
    I haven't had a PET scan

    since 3 months post treatment....since then they have done MRI's with and without contrast for all my scans.  I'm kind of with Katie on this....the PET might not be the end all of scans post treatment.  I'm pretty sure my company did not have a lifetime limit, but my Onc is who has ordered all my scans since, and seems to feel that the MRI's will catch anything, and if something showed I'd get a PET scan.  There's many of us on here who are just getting the MRI's post treatment.

    Maybe check with your Dr. and question him/her on the necessity or non-necessity of PET's rather than the MRI's??

    p

  • catfish_58
    catfish_58 Member Posts: 138 Member
    #7
    New Insurance

    Thanks for the returns and I think ya are right I'll get in touch with my doctors tomorrow and ask for thier advise,Plus thanks for the info on the cat scans didn't think about the radiation risk,my oncologist said that we are going to be taking chest e-rays around every four months.Appreciate the advise.Thanks again

  • hwt
    hwt Member Posts: 2,328 Member
    #8
    catfish_58 said:

    New Insurance

    Thanks for the returns and I think ya are right I'll get in touch with my doctors tomorrow and ask for thier advise,Plus thanks for the info on the cat scans didn't think about the radiation risk,my oncologist said that we are going to be taking chest e-rays around every four months.Appreciate the advise.Thanks again

    Catfish

    It's my understanding that 24 months out is the standard for taking a big breath of relief then 5 years out. My recurrance was found about 15 months out and the surgeon said the timing was right. Had a post tx PET then I was having CT w/contrast every 3 months and had just moved to 4 months when the recurrance was found. Had it not been for the scans, I would not have known anything was going on.  Needless to say, I think regular scans are important. 

  • debbiejeanne
    debbiejeanne Member Posts: 3,102 Member
    #9
    hwt said:

    Catfish

    It's my understanding that 24 months out is the standard for taking a big breath of relief then 5 years out. My recurrance was found about 15 months out and the surgeon said the timing was right. Had a post tx PET then I was having CT w/contrast every 3 months and had just moved to 4 months when the recurrance was found. Had it not been for the scans, I would not have known anything was going on.  Needless to say, I think regular scans are important. 

    candi, once we have a

    candi, once we have a recurrence, does that mean we start the 2 year period over for another recurrence?  just wondering.

    dj

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