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ConnieT Offline OP
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I'm starting to get the bills from July in now. I have no concept of the costs for treatment....I paid off all the smaller debts today (those under $325) and made payments on the big one. Still need to send the dentist $700 but he's getting payments too. I wonder if the financial people at the hospital KNOW how much our insurance will probably cover and normal expenses for treatment?

Right now, he's getting full income plus $300/month until disability runs out and then his co-workers said they will take that $300/month out for awhile. I like to have an idea to know how much I need to accept notary work to cover this.....I don't get paid for months so what I"m doing now, I will receive payment in November.

Has anyone been given an approximate cost for treatment or will I just have to watch the bills roll in one by one? I've never had something like this before so I have no idea.


Spouse of 58 yr old with BOT cancer
Stage 4a HPV16 positive
3 chemo treatments cisplantin
35 radiation treatments 7000 cGy
former smoker/chewed tobacco for 38 yrs.
1/2020 diagnosed with cancer near TMJ
4/2020 chemo 5 days every 2 weeks
6/2020 proton therapy
9/21/2020 cancer free
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Posts: 51
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I did not get any heads up on what treatment would cost. However, I have a yearly cap on out of pocket, the surgery covered that so the radiation was covered at 100%. Look at your insurance or call to see what or how much it covers, and, yes go talk to the finance office at the hospital,hopefully you have a cap on out of pocket. My treatment topped $100,000. Usually you can work out a payment plan with the hospital.

Last edited by DeniseG; 09-22-2018 06:21 PM.

Diagnosed 11/17 SCC right side of tongue
Surgery 2/18 Partial Glossectomy
Radiation 3/18 - 5/18
Clear PET scan 10/18
Non smoker, occasional alcohol use
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ConnieT Offline OP
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thanks Denise. I didn't know if talking to a finance office was an option but i got to thinking it might be. you think about those things on the weekend of course while paying all those medical bills!

Just one overnight stay for chemo was $25,000. so far, that's our biggest single bill $1600 due from us.


Spouse of 58 yr old with BOT cancer
Stage 4a HPV16 positive
3 chemo treatments cisplantin
35 radiation treatments 7000 cGy
former smoker/chewed tobacco for 38 yrs.
1/2020 diagnosed with cancer near TMJ
4/2020 chemo 5 days every 2 weeks
6/2020 proton therapy
9/21/2020 cancer free
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 345
Likes: 8
ConnieT Offline OP
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happened upon the exact person I needed to talk to today. She told me that once we meet the deductible, there's a 20% charge for awhile and then treatment is covered 100%. Now to get my husband to give me password to see what policy level we have....so far, he's not giving it to me frown


Spouse of 58 yr old with BOT cancer
Stage 4a HPV16 positive
3 chemo treatments cisplantin
35 radiation treatments 7000 cGy
former smoker/chewed tobacco for 38 yrs.
1/2020 diagnosed with cancer near TMJ
4/2020 chemo 5 days every 2 weeks
6/2020 proton therapy
9/21/2020 cancer free
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 345
Likes: 8
ConnieT Offline OP
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so it looks like about $5000 out of pocket for treatment for 2018. $900 for dentist and $3500 out of pocket for radiation and chemo. I'm paying all the smaller charges and doing a payment plan with the hospital for all the hospitals stays. I've not had to depend of insurance except for my c-sections so I can appreciate having it now! I am going to total the costs sent to insurance just out of curiousity once I have them all in front of me.


Spouse of 58 yr old with BOT cancer
Stage 4a HPV16 positive
3 chemo treatments cisplantin
35 radiation treatments 7000 cGy
former smoker/chewed tobacco for 38 yrs.
1/2020 diagnosed with cancer near TMJ
4/2020 chemo 5 days every 2 weeks
6/2020 proton therapy
9/21/2020 cancer free
Joined: Jun 2007
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Thats a great idea Connie! Please let us know what the total before insurance adds up to. If possible try to include every single charge... even the dentist, fluoride trays, hospitalization, extra hydration, prescriptions, etc.

Years ago when I was going thru everything I had been keeping track. In 2009, it was an extremely difficult year for me! I do remember seeing a bill for over $200,000. I also received other bills showing charges totaling over $100,000. I used to joke I was the $1,000,000 woman, that was before my third OC diagnosis in 2009.





Christine
SCC 6/15/07 L chk & by L molar both Stag I, age44
2x cispltn-35 IMRT end 9/27/07
-65 lbs in 2 mo, no caregvr
Clear PET 1/08
4/4/08 recur L chk Stag I
surg 4/16/08 clr marg
215 HBO dives
3/09 teeth out, trismus
7/2/09 recur, Stg IV
8/24/09 trach, ND, mandiblctmy
3wks medicly inducd coma
2 mo xtended hospital stay, ICU & burn unit
PICC line IV antibx 8 mo
10/4/10, 2/14/11 reconst surg
OC 3x in 3 years
very happy to be alive smile
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ConnieT Offline OP
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well, i know radiation alone was $121,000. First hospital visit $25,000 for an overnight stay. 2 more of those plus extra days. i kind of joked to the radiation insurance person that I estimated months ago it would total between $500,000 and 1 million. She didn't laugh....she had been through this with her husband over 7 yrs ago so I took my guess to probably be about on target. We will see. I'm a numbers person so I will add it all up and list for others to see.


Spouse of 58 yr old with BOT cancer
Stage 4a HPV16 positive
3 chemo treatments cisplantin
35 radiation treatments 7000 cGy
former smoker/chewed tobacco for 38 yrs.
1/2020 diagnosed with cancer near TMJ
4/2020 chemo 5 days every 2 weeks
6/2020 proton therapy
9/21/2020 cancer free
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 345
Likes: 8
ConnieT Offline OP
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well, i have a total for July through August on how much this has totalled so far.

This is diagnostics and 1 hospital stay for chemo plus total radiation costs:

drum roll: $163, 848.75. I'm not sure if this encompasses the $25,501 for the hospital stay so it might be that addded on to the $163,000.

I have seen no bills for September or October yet. I wonder if we will see any bills since we are well above our $3500 deductible

Radiology was $121,000.

our cost out of pocket will be around $5000 with medical and dental

Last edited by ConnieT; 11-02-2018 10:05 AM.

Spouse of 58 yr old with BOT cancer
Stage 4a HPV16 positive
3 chemo treatments cisplantin
35 radiation treatments 7000 cGy
former smoker/chewed tobacco for 38 yrs.
1/2020 diagnosed with cancer near TMJ
4/2020 chemo 5 days every 2 weeks
6/2020 proton therapy
9/21/2020 cancer free
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 346
Likes: 3
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Wow. It's scary to see it all added up like that.

Hang in there!


Surgery 5/31/13
Tongue lesion, right side
SCC, HPV+, poorly differentiated
T1N0 based on biopsy and scan
Selective neck dissection 8/27/13, clear nodes
12/2/13 follow-up with concerns
12/3/13 biopsy, surgery, cancer returned
1/8/14 Port installed
PEG installed
Chemo and rads
2/14/14 halfway through carboplatin/taxotere and rads
March '14, Tx done, port out w/ complications, PEG out in June
2017: probable trigeminal neuralgia
Fall 2017: HBOT
Jan 18: oral surgery
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 30
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My husband, a retired accountant, once had our total at $1,203,142 but I believe that also included our hotel stays in Minnesota and our condo stays in Los Angeles...


Susan
04.12.16 1st surgery; rt partial glossectomy; neck dissection; 2/38 lymph nodes positive
05.12.16 Resected T2, N2b, M0
05.24.16 Rad, Cisplatin
10.03.16 Clear PET
04.11.17 Clear PET
06.09.17 1st recur
06.21.17 2nd Surg: rt partial glossectomy; forearm free flap; rt thigh skin graft
11.09.17 2nd recur
11.30.17 Nivolumab
02.06-16.18 Brachytherapy
06.12.18 3rd recur
06.12.18 Lt axillary lymph node SCC
07.05.18 Pain pump placd
08.23.18 Pump removd
10.29.18 PET-CT responds to treatmnt


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