Our friend has cancer and is on chemo...he's losing his insurance now...

[cynatnite]

They can't afford to pay it any longer. This is just criminal, IMO.

They're going to apply for public help, but no one's sure if they can qualify because of their income.

We're all outraged here.

[SoCalDem]

1. Sadly, they are on the one-way conveyor belt

their wealth will now transfer to medical providers, in exchange for a chance at a little more life:cry:
so sorry for your friends:hug:

[n2doc]

4. you nailed it n/t

[CurtEastPoint]

2. NO REASON for this. In the US. Today. What's it going to take, people?

Seriously. About time for an uprising. A civilization is judged by how it treats its weakest.

[napi21]

3. Hasn't that part of the new ins. reform kicked in yet?

I'd at east try calling the Feds an find out. I know it either HAS kicked in or will Jan 1st. I just can't recall for sure.

[cynatnite]

9. It's a different matter if the money to make the premium payments isn't there...

The insurance has been covering his treatment with no problem. That is until the end of the month. They didn't have the money to make this last month's premium.

[napi21]

16. I'm sorry, I misread you post. Tell them to contact their local & Federal

congressmen. THAT'S part of their job to help their constituents. Check with the social services dept. of the hosp where he gets his treatment. What kind of treatment are we talking about? IF it's meds, many of the mfg's offer free meds in certain circumstances. I don't know about chemo or treatments similar to that tough. The Social Services rep should know.

I really wish you luck, an you really have to try every avenue of possibility. Sometimes you find info that no one else knew & in the strangest places.

[Nite Owl]

5. I'm so sorry

I hope he gets help but with all localities feeling shortages it will be difficult.
This is so beyond criminal, we are a Pro Death country.

[EFerrari]

6. My favorite cousin got colon cancer and dealt with it 2006-8.

If it had turned up a year later, she would have been dumped.

[pitohui]

7. what public help is that which pays for chemo?

i haven't heard of any such thing in years, i suggest if your friend needs the chemo he needs to find a way to pay the insurance, hell, take out a cash advance on a credit card, anything, because there is no obligation for public hospitals to give away free chemo

they need to get someone with a clear mind to check into what they're doing, before they do something really stupid...chemo costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, at least the folks i know...it's cheaper to somehow put the insurance on a credit card and declare bankruptcy later after the chemo is done

if they have income, i can't believe they'll get any serious public health

we supposedly had the best public health in america at charity hospital in new orleans and five years later they never re-built it and i begin to doubt they ever will, this country just doesn't have much for cancer patients

seriously, if a life is at stake i wouldn't allow that health insurance to drop for ANYTHING even if you really did have to eat ramen and kite credit cards, i would need PROOF that chemo would be continued even if i couldn't pay and i would be shocked if they can get such proof

let me know how it turns out, i would like to be proved wrong

a friend w. hodgkin's disease had to declare bankruptcy after the chemo was done, but he'd be dead if he went ahead and dropped his insurance (and hence stopped getting treatment) before he went into remission

[cynatnite]

12. TN offers BlueCare...

It can cover a lot.

We have it for our son and the husband has an income from Worker's Comp.

[DesertFlower]

17. 2 years ago my friend was diagnosed

with breast cancer. she was not working and did not have health insurance. the department of health (florida) got her onto medicaid right away. she had a lumpectomy and 8 weeks of radiation 5 days a week. didn't cost her a penny. she's on tamoxifen and they pay for that too.

[pitohui]

28. wow that's great

i have several friends who got fuck all once they had no insurance, it really must go state by state or who your grand daddy slept with or something

i don't mean to sound bitter but yeah, i'm bitter, i know people who died because they were told "we don't have to do anything except stabilize you"

so they were in fact murdered if they could have been helped and were refused for what? no reason at all? there's only so many slots who get helped? what? why?

[DesertFlower]

29. i guess she was lucky.

for the last year she's been dealing with a detached retina. they can't seem to get it stabilized. she said "dealing with breast cancer was easier".

[CTyankee]

22. We held a fundraiser to pay for our friend's chemo after her insur. co. denied coverage after her

colon cancer surgery (the company paid for the surgery only). We had a raffle and tickets paid for the food (done at cost).

Seriously, how do people who work for these insurance companies get up and go to work every day? How can they DO that to people?

[Bonhomme Richard]

8. That's life in an economic and social Darwinistic Plutocracy. n/t

[SheilaT]

10. Unfortunately, this isn't

completely newsworthy, as your friend is one of how many in a similar situation?

It is absolutely criminal.

[yodermon]

11. Extortion, plain and simple

[Catherina]

13. So sorry Cynatnite. n/t

[jody]

14. Not to worry, Obama said "whether, sort of in the aggregate, society making those decisions . . .

when they’re terminally ill is a sustainable model, is a very difficult question." see http://healthcareorganizationalethics.blogspot.com/2009/05/president-obamas-grandmother-and-ethics.html

Obama funded research to recommend how to ration health care.

Some critically patients will receive care but others will not.

Two of Obama's key appointments support rationing health care:

Cass R. Sunstein, head of White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs published "Lives, Life-Years, and Willingness to Pay"

Ezekiel J Emanuel, adviser to Obama on the health care bill co-authored "Principles for allocation of scarce medical interventions"

[TwilightGardener]

25. Are you suggesting that HCR under Obama would deny this man chemotherapy

based on...what? Death panels?

[musette_sf]

15. find out if the maker(s) of the chemo

have a Patient Assistance Program.

[mommalegga]

18. That sucks...

Is there anyway friends and family can chip in to pay the premium...at least till the chemo is done?

[zipplewrath]

19. How much was his missed payment?

Just curious what the magnitude of the problem is.

[revolution breeze]

20. Have your friend contact the ombudsman at the healthcare facility

There are programs in place which will allow your friend to continue his chemotherapy at most healthcare facilties, especially if he is already an established patient and chemotherapy has been started. If he is denied, take his story to the local newspaper and television stations. Hospitals and doctors hate this kind of publicity and will take actions to prevent any negative press.

[Dorian Gray]

21. My gosh

I'm so sorry to hear that cynatnite. My thoughts and best wishes go to them. I hope that they can find some coverage and he can get the best treatment possible and kick cancer's ass.

[unc70]

23. If ever late, must become fully current or ahead, otherwise ...

Otherwise, if they can justify canceling the policy, the insurance company will cancel back to the date the policy was fully current. Remember that many policies send bills for the current month, maybe due on the first and late after the 15 and absolutely had to be paid by the 30th to avoid cancelation (30 days past due). It varies by state and by policy, but be very aware that many insurance companies are looking for any excuse to cancel policies with expensive claims, or the potential thereof. Not just individual, but small groups too.

Be really aware of slight changes in date due and time due in your bills. THey often try to trip one up into making a mistake. I have also received back-dated but mailed late "statements" designed to mislead one from the urgency of actions required of them.

Many insurance companies require receipt of funds by maybe 3:00pm, while your banks bill-pay systems delivers by 5:00pm. You had thought you were paying by the due date, but are suddenly late and at risk because of the due hour.

Most likely they will eventually find a reason to cancel if you or ones in your group carry enough risk for significant claims in the future. (In my case, the premiums in the current year for my treatment were alone more than all my costs for care; totally amortized in that same calendar year with premiums rates set prior to diagnosis. That includes all the other claims that year for prescriptions, doctor visits, etc. And before diagnosis, I had already received information about the still-higher premiums the following year.

Assume the worst in others when in regard to insurance companies. Unfortunately, it is quite likely that you will still be disappointed.

[unc70]

24. If ever late, must become fully current or ahead, otherwise ...

Otherwise, if they can justify canceling the policy, the insurance company will cancel back to the date the policy was fully current. Remember that many policies send bills for the current month, maybe due on the first and late after the 15 and absolutely had to be paid by the 30th to avoid cancelation (30 days past due). It varies by state and by policy, but be very aware that many insurance companies are looking for any excuse to cancel policies with expensive claims, or the potential thereof. Not just individual, but small groups too.

Be really aware of slight changes in date due and time due in your bills. THey often try to trip one up into making a mistake. I have also received back-dated but mailed late "statements" designed to mislead one from the urgency of actions required of them.

Many insurance companies require receipt of funds by maybe 3:00pm, while your banks bill-pay systems delivers by 5:00pm. You had thought you were paying by the due date, but are suddenly late and at risk because of the due hour.

Most likely they will eventually find a reason to cancel if you or ones in your group carry enough risk for significant claims in the future. (In my case, the premiums in the current year for my treatment were alone more than all my costs for care; totally amortized in that same calendar year with premiums rates set prior to diagnosis. That includes all the other claims that year for prescriptions, doctor visits, etc. And before diagnosis, I had already received information about the still-higher premiums the following year.

Assume the worst in others when in regard to insurance companies. Unfortunately, it is quite likely that you will still be disappointed.

[TwilightGardener]

26. That's a shame--hope they can get public help, or at least talk to

the oncologist treating him. I am quite sure the doc doesn't want this man's treatment interrupted.

[Dyler Turden]

27. K&R. And best hopes and thoughts to your friend.

And you're right. This sort of thing IS criminal.