Freaked Out Over Insurance

[caitwing]

I just read today that my husband's insurance, a small company called Combined Insurance of America Inc., who farm it's benifit claims out to a company called Administrative Concepts, which he has through school, will only cover up to $50,000 per "incident/sickness"... what with the 5 days at the hospital 2 weeks ago, and the plethora of testing we've gone through at both IL. Masonic and the University of Chicago, we're almost at that ceiling already.

I'm overwhelmed.

Here's a question: since we're still awaiting a definitive diagnosis, do I still have time to find a different insurance provider? Or will he be blindly rejected for having a pre-existing condition.

As I'm already exhausted by the actual disease, how do I begin to deal with the hell that is the financial aspect of this nightmare?

Wow.............

[endangered but surviving]

My heart goes out to you.

Contact the Red Cross in your area, get others working for you.

You most likely will be rejected by other insurance companies, but you might try anyway if they have not officially diagnosed him.

I repeat get sother family or friends on this with you. Now is the time to be on top of research and insurance. pm me if you like.

joyce

[john]

http://www.cancercare.org/FinancialNeed ... dsmain.cfm

Check into Medicaid, Medicare, and the Social Security Administration.

http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa061800b.htm

I never really thought about this, but make sure you save all your receipts (even keep track of mileage to/from treatments) It may be tax deductible

Since he is a non-smoker, one thing to look into is Tarceva type drugs. The are supposed to work better in non-smokers.

The are called EGFR inhibitors.

Clinical trials *might* be a little cheaper and you get the newest drugs (though not always better but at least the same)

Check out http://www.clinicaltrials.gov

and ask your Dr about them

http://cis.nci.nih.gov/fact/8_9.htm

Check out ...

http://www.copays.org

http://www.patientadvocate.org

[mike_s]

When I was diagnosed, I had no health insurance at all, so I was quite freaked out also.

Oregon has health insurance available for people who are not ordinarily insurable through something called the Oregon Medical Insurance Pool. It is normal Blue Cross insurance, but it is partially paid for by a tax on any company that wants to sell health insurance in the state. Total benefits are capped at 1,000,000, and there is sometimes a 6 month wait for preexisting. I am moving to the state of Washington soon, and I checked, and they have the same type of program.

You might check to see if there is a program like this run by your state. Your state insurance commissioner should know.

Regards,

mike_s

[Leslie221]

Caitwing,

While doing research on how to fight insurance comapnies I came across a great website.

Go to: www.patientadvocate.org

I found a listing of great reources for people in Chicago with healthcare-related financial problems.

Here's one:

Organization: Risk Pools

Illinois Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan

Address:

Address:

City: State: IL Zip:

Main Phone: 1-800-367-6410

Alternate Phone: 1-217-782-6333

Fax: TDD:

Email:

Web Address:

Health Insurance Options for High-Risk Individuals. There are state programs, sometimes called "risk pools," that serve people who have pre-existing health conditions, and often are denied, or have difficulty finding affordable coverage in the private market.

Anyway, go to that site. They have downloadable and printable examples of how to write letters of appeal for declined treatments to actual lawsuits related to health insurance companies. All sorts of interesting stuff!

How are things going?

Leslie