I have no insurance--what will happen to me

[hamlet]

I have not been diagnosed, but believe I have lc. My fingers are clubbed and I havebilateral burning knee pain for past 3 weeks. A PA told me my fingers were clubbed 6 months ago but acted like it was not a big deal--just suggested tests but didnt' oder them that day. Gave me no indication that it was a life threatening condition. I also have a wheeze on one side. I am frightened--just moved in with my husband to whom I have been married for over 25 years but separated from for 5 years. He tried to add me to his insurance but there is a six month waiting period. He does not know of my fears, and I can't bear to tell him. We are already near bankruptcy--as I have been unemployed for over a year and he lost a high paying job four years ago and now makes less than half of what he made. We are facing judgements from Citi Bank and Discover. For four years we tried to pay the bills and get our kids through college, but when I lost my job it was too much. I do not live near a Hill Burton facility. My husband makes too much money for me to get assistance. Maybe I should never have moved back with him--only to cause him more grief and financial problems. Will I be able to get treatment until my inurance kicks in or will they send me home to wait. I know they will do credit check and find that we can't pay. I am desparate-belieiving I have lc and not knowing what stage or if there is any hope. I am only 48--didn't even know until I begain to look for the cause of my knee pain that cancer strikes this young. But now know that others much younger and who never smoke get it. I am a smoker. I have read many posts here and admire the courage and fortitude of many members here. I feel alone and wish to have the strength I have seen here. My pain is severe, which does not help either. Where can I turn?

[natalie]

Where are you located? I would call Blue Cross or Kaiser (not sure if those are avail in your area) and see about being insured as an individual. My husband has Blue Cross (his job doesn't offer insurance benefits) and it costs him $157/mo which is about what I'd pay to add him to my insurance anyways here at work, so he just kept his own. I wish you the best of luck. Also, maybe there is Medicare or Government aid of some sort for these kind of situations?

[dadstimeon]

Hi Hamlit,

Sorry to hear about you situation. It is understandable how you feel. Where to you go for health care? Do they have social workers? Contact your local government and ask what programs do they have that can help with your situation? First it is important to get a proper diagnosis. It’s hard to speculate on what is wrong. Below is a website that has resources for people who need assistances. Stay with us. Lots of great people for support and information. Stay positive. Take it one step at a time and one day at a time. My prayers are with you. Hope this helps. Peace, take care and God Bless.

Rich

http://www.plwc.org/plwc/MainConstructo ... 008,00.asp (Financial Support Resources)

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http://www.plwc.org/plwc/MainConstructo ... 008,00.asp (PLWC Feature: Financial Support Resources)

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/nycu/healt ... hqcanc.htm (Best Hospitals)

https://www.alcase.org/advocacy/sign_the_petition.html (Advocacy /Sign the Petition)

http://www.cancersymptoms.org (Oncology Nursing Society)

http://www.plwc.org/plwc/MainConstructo ... 08,00.html (Questions to Ask the Doctor)

http://www.alcase.org/education/publica ... reath.html (With Every Breath A Lung Cancer Guidebook / From ALCASE / A Wealth Of Information / Free)

http://www.cancersurvivaltoolbox.org (The Cancer Survival Toolbox / Free / From NCCS)

http://www.centerwatch.com (Clinical Trails Listing Service / Center Watch)

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&editi ... ung+cancer (Lung Cancer In The News)

http://www.thewellnesscommunity.org/pro ... /guide.asp (The Wellness Community / National Cancer Support, Education And Support / Free)

http://www.drugs.com (Drug Information Online)

http://www.alcase.org (ALCASE / Alliance For Lung Cancer Advocacy, Support, Education)

http://www.nlm.nih.gov (Unites States / National Library Of Medicine)

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/encyclopedia.html (Health Information / Medical Encyclopedia)

http://www.google.com (Great Search Engine)

http://blochcancer.org (R.A. Bloch Cancer Foundation, Inc. / Please read: A Letter to all newly diagnosed cancer patients)

http://www.cancer.org (American Cancer Society)

http://www.cancer.gov (Cancer Information Service / NCI)

http://www.cancerresearchcenter.org (Cancer Research Center)

http://www.aicr.org (American Institute for Cancer Research; Nutrition Hotline / AICR)

http://www.cancerhopenetwork.org (Cancer Hope Network)

http://www.acor.org (Association of Cancer Online Resources / Free Online Lifeline For Everyone Affected By Cancer & Related Disorders)

http://www.meds.com/lung/lunginfo.html (Lung Cancer Information Library)

http://www.lungusa.org (American Lung Association)

http://www.ama-assn.org (American Medical Association)

http://www.docguide.com/news/content.ns ... g%20Cancer (Doctor’s Guide / Lung Cancer)

http://www.healthfinder.gov/Scripts/Sea ... ?topic=506 (Healthfinder)

http://www.medicinenet.com/Lung_Cancer/article.htm (Medicine Net)

http://www.cancerindex.org/clinks2l.htm (Cancer Index / Lung Cancer Resources Directory)

http://www.nfcr.org/site/PageServer?pag ... ncers_lung (National Foundation For Cancer Research)

http://www.patientadvocate.org (Patient Advocate Foundation)

http://www.lungcanceronline.org/effects ... fects.html (Lung Cancer Online / Hematologic (Blood) Effects)

http://www.cancerlinks.org/lung.html (Lung Cancer Links)

http://www.cancer-free.com (Cancer Free Connections)

http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/C ... ung_cancer (Health Insite)

http://www.lungcancerclaims.com (Lung Cancer / Lung Cancer Information Page)

http://www.cancerlifecenter.com/engine. ... =dictionar (Cancer Life Center/ Cancer Dictionary)

http://www.canceryellowpages.com/Resour ... G%20CANCER (Cancer yellow Pages)

http://icare.org (ICARE / The International Cancer Alliance)

http://www.vh.org/index.html (Virtual Hospital)

http://www.lungcanceronline.org/support/financial.html (Lung Cancer Online / Financial, Legal & Insurance Issues)

http://cancernews.healthology.com/focus ... cancernews (Cancer News)

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[Nancy O.]

Hi. I am sorry to hear about your situation. My husband and I have no health insurance either. I was in the process of choosing health care when I became ill and was diagnosed with lung cancer. My husband has Wilsons disease and no one will cover him. We were able to pay some of the bills as we went along with the testing to find out how to treat my cancer, but the hospital bill was another story. We talked to the financial person at the hospital and was able to pay 60% of the total bill. They actually knocked 40% off. We had to come up with rest however rather quickly. Some hospitals will take payments and will set up a payment plan. Talk to whoever is going to treat you. Doctors and hospitals, radiation or chemo docs too. See if you can pay them a little at a time. Also disability, Social security or maybe your county hospital. Those would have been my next choices. Good luck to you and let us know the diagnosis when you find out. Don't dispair when you are not yet sure whats going on. I know clubbing can be caused by lung infection also, not just cancer.

[hamlet]

I am petrified, angry at myself for getting in this mess, and feeling hopeless. Thank you for replying. I fear so many things, my health seems the least of it--though it is behind it all, lurking. Fear that the man I love will desert me and worse that I will hurt him yet again. Money. I can't even imagine what it will cost or where I will get it. I emailed cancer adovactes (they were on the wonderful list that Rich includes with his post) and they did not even respond. even though they have a specific place where you can ask for help. Is it the stigma of this disease? Makes me mad--but I can't help feeling shame right now either. People are cruel--I learned that the hard way. I don't know if I have the strength right now to make a step. New city--can barely find the grocery. No one I know here. No one to talk to. I have not felt this helpless since I was a child and lost my mother. I was nine and had to go it alone through life and now all I can think is that all along I really wasn't able to go it alone--all just pretending. I want to believe it is worth the fight. You all help --reading your words, but then again so much pain and disappointment. I herald you all and your families.

[Nancy O.]

I think the first thing you can do is take a couple deep breaths and then maybe try prayer for inner peace. This helps me when I feel overwhelmed. I know that I told you that my husband and I had and have no health insurance. Well we were married just about one year when I was diagnosed and I felt terrible about it also. I felt terrible about the financial burden that we would be faced with and wondered if he would be able to hang in there with me. He did and we got through it and we will be married four years this June. Wait until you find out for sure what is wrong. It may be something that is easily and reasonably treated. If you have faith in a higher power, now is the time to use it.

God Bless and let us know what the diagnosis is.

[bphyllis]

Why don't you go to your Social Security Office and apply for Social Security Disability? That way you would be able to have a Social Security disability check every month, which I think would be approximately half of what you were making when you were working and you would have Medicare and Medicaid. You will probably have to get diagnosed as having lung cancer and be declared disabled which may take some time but at least you would have things a little more under control and it is not based on your income. Your local county hospital may be able to treat you in the mean time. You might want to talk to a social worker at your local hospital.

[Guest HerSon]

Medicaid should cover you, but they may try to recoup later if you have a lot of assets.

[Guest bean_si (Not Active)]

Okay, you can't apply for social security disability until you have been diagnosed with cancer (or some other disability). Social Security does not kick in until 5 months after the diagnosis is made. Medicare does not start until 2 years after you've been qualified for SSD or SSI (I think which type depends on how much you've worked in previous years)

Get to a doctor. Get diagnosed. You could be worrying yourself sick about having cancer -- but not have cancer. In my opinion, it is imperative that you at least get diagnosed.

I understand about the syndrome often called "falling through the cracks". More than once I've been through a medical trauma but according to the welfare system I wasn't poor enough to qualify for various programs - but I certainly did not have enough to live on much less pay medical bills.

This may sound awful to some - but heck you need help so here goes. I would get diagnosed, get treatment, set up a payment plan with hospital/doctor and if it became too much, I would then file bankruptcy AFTER receiving treatment.

We're here for you. I'm praying for you as I know many others are, even if they don't post that they are.

Cat

[kimblanchard]

Just some ideas. Around here people who don't have insurance go to Iowa University Hospital, a teaching hospital, could be something like that near you.

Or - if you are near bankrupcy anyway, maybe you could declare bankruptcy when you can't pay the bills

Or - My husband was getting coverage right around the time he first got sick. Of course we had no idea that he was really sick. We weren't cheating, it is just the way it happened. He signed up for coverage, it wasn't even in effect yet, but his condition was covered because he wasn't diagnosed when he enrolled. I am not sure how that could be but maybe you could sign up for coverage somewhere, wait a bit, then go to the doctor. Or get a job that covers you in one month, then go to the doctor - I sure don't want to tell you to wait, not at all. But if you get coverage before you officially find out, you could be covered.

Keep in touch, I am worried with you. Margaret

[Fall54]

My prayers are with you and I pray it is not cancer first off. I agree, get coverage before you get a dx. If that is not possible then I am with Cat!!

God Bless you,

Jane

[jamie]

Hi,

Im sorry that i dont have any answers for you, but just wanted to say that I am so sorry that you are having such a rough road right now. I agree that you should first find out what is going on. Go to the doctor as it may not be LC.

I wish you the very best, and keep us posted

Jamie