| | Joined: Sep 2008 Posts: 711 "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts) | OP  "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)
Joined: Sep 2008 Posts: 711 | I am now officially uninsured as I can no longer afford the COBRA payments. The Veteran's Clinic here in Chico is taking care of basic medical needs but I am due this month for a PET scan. I'll have to find out how the V.A. deals with that and other major issues. I know the local clinic is not set up for such things so I'll probably have to drive to Sacramento (100 miles each way). I'm worried how this will play out but am optimistic, as I usually am about life in general.
David R. 65 yr old male non-smoker, light drinker, stage 3 or 4, depending on which doc you ask, scc rt. tonsil, 2 nodes, 7 weeks radiation and chemo. No surgery. Teatment ended 3/20/08. PET scan 8/08 showed no cancer.
And now, as of oct, 2010, caregiver to wife, Linda, with breast cancer.
May, 2013, Linda diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer. Enuf already.
| | | | | Joined: Sep 2009 Posts: 96 Supporting Member (50+ posts) | | Supporting Member (50+ posts)
Joined: Sep 2009 Posts: 96 | I was facing being uninsured as well but it was due to my Cobra expiring. I don't know what I would do without insurance as I have had to have so many surgeries. I did sign up for HIPPA coverage which is individual insurance but at a higher price due to the higher risk of payments for them. Not sure if you might be able to sign up for that and if it might be cheaper for you.
31 at dx 9/06
SCC T4N0M0 with bone invasion upper maxillary
Surgery 10/06
CT's clear for 2 years
2nd recurrence - Laser surgery 1/09 dx
Tumor board - No surgery to invasive for QOL
35 IMRT 3/30/09 Completed 5/15/09
8 tx Erbitux 3/24/09 Completed 5/6/09
HBO for ORN March & April 2010
Fibula flap 5/10
| | | | | Joined: Apr 2009 Posts: 329 Platinum Member (300+ posts) | | Platinum Member (300+ posts)
Joined: Apr 2009 Posts: 329 | I'll be in the same boat come October. General Motors is dropping all of salary insurance who turn 65. I have no clue about Medicare or a supplement seeing I had cancer. As The World Turns..another worry.
SCC. of the left lateral tongue, anterior two thirds, T1 possibly a T2.
Left partial glossectomy, left selective neck dissection 4/21/09. Nodes clean, No Rad, No Chemo.
CT Scan 9/11 clean, CT Scan 9/12 clean
Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, FL. A+.
My hometown Lockport, NY.
| | | | | Joined: Sep 2009 Posts: 96 Supporting Member (50+ posts) | | Supporting Member (50+ posts)
Joined: Sep 2009 Posts: 96 | Connie, it sounds like you would be able to do a HIPPA policy. Almost all insurance companies have a HIPPA policy. They are more expensive but you can ask. I am not sure about Medicare as I am not there yet. And once you are approved for HIPPA insurance there is no waiting due to previous conditions which is great.
31 at dx 9/06
SCC T4N0M0 with bone invasion upper maxillary
Surgery 10/06
CT's clear for 2 years
2nd recurrence - Laser surgery 1/09 dx
Tumor board - No surgery to invasive for QOL
35 IMRT 3/30/09 Completed 5/15/09
8 tx Erbitux 3/24/09 Completed 5/6/09
HBO for ORN March & April 2010
Fibula flap 5/10
| | | | | Joined: Jan 2009 Posts: 216 Gold Member (200+ posts) | | Gold Member (200+ posts)
Joined: Jan 2009 Posts: 216 | Gonna be right on your heels with the uninsured stuff....COBRA subsidy ends this month and we can't afford to pay the full price. As it stands at this moment, I'm dropping off the COBRA, maybe try to keep DH on depending on results of PET we get tomorrow. He's not eligible for Medicare until July or August and I'm just gonna have to stay healthy.
CG to H with SCC BOT T4N2cM0 dx 12/19/08, teeth removed pre-tx; Erbitux & RT-done 3/12/09, PEG 2/9/09-7/14/09; ND 6/16. Pet 6/12-no mets except lymph node in neck removed on 6/16. Chyle leak,2nd surg to repair. Dilate esophagus 4/15/10. Clear PET 12/17/10
| | | | | Joined: Oct 2010 Posts: 50 Supporting Member (50+ posts) | | Supporting Member (50+ posts)
Joined: Oct 2010 Posts: 50 | David, I am not sure if you still need to know about V.A. In Georgia Bob and I live 84 miles away from the Atlanta V.A. hospital. If you haven't found out already they will pay for travel if you live far enough away. We had no choice V.A. was the way to go. Our tricare didn't have the Doctors we needed in our network. I can't say enough good things about Bobs care. We were not supposed to see a doc. till mid Nov. we had surgery Nov.3rd. At this V.A.all the speciality clinics are in the hospital.
Now the pharmacy, well lets just say if I need the meds today - it is not going to do me any good to have them mailed to me a week later.
Deb taking care of Bob, left retromolar tirgone&alveolar ridge SCC stage IV pT4anomx
11/3/10 partial mandiblctmy,trech,chest flap
11/9/10 Trech out, PEG in
1/19/11- 3/9/11 Cisplatin x3, IMRT x33
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