Well my wife and I have been "terminated" from our HMO a second time now in a year for non-payment and it never ceases to amaze me just how heartless the financial and bean counting bastards are in this world. It was bad enough having cancer - then the devastating treatment and prolonged recovery (and believe me, I am grateful that I even HAVE a recovery) but then the banks and credit cards companies roll in with their $33 overdraft charges, overlimit fees, late fees, higher interest due to terms hidden in small print. Then there is the endless phone calls from the collection agencies morning, noon and night, 7 days a week - thank God for caller ID.

This is the dirty little side of cancer that very few anticipate. The institutions are evil -there is no kind way of putting this. I have exhausted my home equity, retirement plan and any other resource not nailed down and they would take my blood too (if I didn't have Hep C on top of everything else). We have already met with the lawyer about filing for bankruptcy.

I would love to let this go but it's like stepping in a hornets nest in the middle of a large field with no where to hide - they attack relentlessly, ruthlessly. The condescending methodology of the collection agencies is startling - the questioning of charges on credit card bills, item by item, threats by "psuedo attornies". The total lack of ethics in general. "Ming the Merciless" had higher ethics than this.

My doctor tells me that stress is the leading cause of disease. They can't get the money so they they are trying to kill me. I wouldn't have been any worse borrowing money from the mob.

Thanks for letting me vent...

Well Gary
Don't you dare give up... sit on a street corner with a tincan and a large notice listing all the bastards that are bleeding you dry and WHY?? I don't understand the ethics of your health service.. our is free at source... BUT that means it is never possible to insist on a particular treatment.. or to see a Doc of choice and it has taken weeks to get a date for my MRI scan.. so the cancer hasn't got you.. don't let these robbing bastards get you either.. sorry to anyone the lanuage offends.. desparate times need deparate measures..
love and big hugs
Helen

Gary I agree w/you 100%, what kind of system do we have here. I know of at least two people right now on disability that don't need to be. I have seen with my own eyes these people work a full days work and I talking work. We can give people money to stay at home that are able bodied, but we treat people who are sick and need a helping hand like dirt. When I first learned of my problem the first thing I did was get rid of everything I owed money on that I could, because of other stories like yours I had heard. We were told to join a church that might be good enough to help us. I felt like a hypocrite. I joined a church but I never asked for anything but prayer. Where is the helping hand for honest people who have worked and been a good citizens.

Gary,

Feel free to vent. I was educated a bean counter and it is hard to work around the heartless ones. I had disability protection on a couple of credit cards and it turns out they both use the same insurance company. I filled out two forms and sent them to the same place. One came back because the handwriting in the physician section looked the same as the handwriting in the patient section. It took four months to rectify and as soon as it was, they asked for a new form to be filled out since April only covered Jan-April and May was due now. I sent the April one in May 15ish.

I tried to file for long term disability after waiting six months and even though I was paying premiums they told me I was not elligible because I had cancer within 60 days. They were consulted before I signed up yet they took my premiums. They said the premiums were in case I had some other condition other than the cancer. BLOODSUCKING MAGGOTS!

I took care of a terminally ill mother for 9 months, went through hep c treatment for 12 months and then tongue cancer the past year. I tried to file bankruptcy but couldn't afford the lawyer. I shuffled everything around and made it another year.

I am sorry you have to go through such crap on top of everything you have already had to deal with.

Ed

I feel for anyone having to go through the process without the help of insurance coverage. It should be a right of all to have the best treatment avaible at no cost. Here we give BILLIONS & BILLIONS of dollors and countless American lives to a country most of us couldn't find on a map. Go Figure!! The medical profession does a great job overall but the bean counters set the policies and that leaves us in deep shit. Where is the human side of the story? There are some mighty COLD UNCARING HUMAN BEINGS OUT THERE!!

We as a human race have come a long way in so many areas. Medical coverage for the things we need are not one of them. Thats my thoughts on hearing about my friends having to struggle over coverage on top of survival. Life is unfair!!

Danny Boy

Gary,
Hang in there and keep fighting...I send up special prayers for you tonite that financial help will come along with complete healing. I know God hears our prayers.

Take care,
Debbie

Bastards.............not offensive, simply appropriate.
Good luck with it all Gary.
Love, Minnie

Gary,

Gary,

Sorry you are going thru all this. We are just now starting down the same road. They terminated Paul last week and the cobra will cost us half of his ss. Right now I can't even think of getting a job to help things out because his Doctor's are too far for him too drive himself and it seems we are going to one or the other every week.
I guess we will have to sell everything we own except the car to get us too his appt. so we can get some medical assitance for his medical bills. We also are thinking of bankrupcy to get rid of all the herasment that is starting big time.
The important thing is that we have to keep fighting to overcome this awful killer and start a new life.
Paul has had three recurrences in one year and believe me he is really getting beaten down. I have tried to keep most of the money problems from him but now he has to know the problems so we can fix them. It's tough but if you keep looking there is help out there...Keep the faith

Shirley

Gary, I'm also sorry to hear you're having to deal with all this, but sad to say, it can get pretty bad. Insurance companies start looking to cut their losses any way they can at this point, and the credit companies pretty much don't care either way.

I'm lucky, I've got excellent insurance, but one problem. Because of an administrative screw up I'm not covered for treatment in US or Canada. Anyplace else in the world, ok, just not North America.

Hope things work out for you.
Bob