i have a question and wonder if any of you have experience with this?

When I was diagnosed - I was in the process of starting a new job - I had been hired as an FBI Special Agent contingent on physical fitness test, medical eval and polygraph. Well - I am assuming that is out of the question now - as I know they will find a way to disqual me on the medical eval. (althought they say they can't) and it would have required me to move (and I really don't feel like moving by myself to a strange city and finding all new doctors etc...) so I am no longer pursuing that - although it took 6 months of testing, applications and interviews to get where I was. Still a little bitter about the situation.

Anyway, I was also called for a second interview with another company the day I was diagnosed - and I called them back to say I had some "medical things" that needed taken care of at that time. They said to call back in a few months - they would still be hiring - so I did and interviewed last week. I am expecting to find out this week if I'll get that job or not.

My question is this: Has anyone had trouble switching jobs so soon after diagnosis / treatment (I had surgery only in January) and did you have trouble ith insurance if you went ahead and switched jobs. It makes me very nervous to do it - but I don't want to just stay at my current job that I hate and "wait for the cancer to return". B/c I don't know that it will return - although it could come back next month.

I know they can't ask about the cancer - and I haven't offered it - in fact I wore a turtleneck sweater to the interview to cover my neck dissection scars. I'm just wondering what would happen if I did do the swtich and something awful happens like the cancer returning in the first few months.

Also - I haven't yet had my PET scan and that is to be in the next month or two. Would there be an issue with that?

I should also add that I am my own sole provider for income and insurance. I am not married, do not have a domestic partner and am too old to go on mom and dad's insurance.

Any insight is appreciated. Thanks.

AmyM, is your present insurance provided through your current employer? Have you asked the Ins. Co. if you can retain coverage if you switch jobs?
Amy

Yes - I'm insured through work and Yes - I can continue via Cobra if I wanted for 18months or so. But, i dont want to have to pay Cobra - if I switch - it will be insurance with the new position. Just wondering if anyone else had switched jobs this close to treatment / diagnosis and how that experience went.

Amy,

I have found health insurance is sometimes a negotiating item in employment. I have heard of people within my company getting immediate benefits without restrictions as new hires for hard to fill positions.

I found my new job through my old one. Same parent company, different hospital location and was able to transfer with full benefits and seniority immediately. The only benefits that did not move with me were my left over sick leave (ouch, I had only used half of the maximum when I left, and new company doesn't have it) and a 2 year waiting period to start a medical flex spending account because the hospital funds it directly and doesn't use a company to collect and process the reimbursements.

Since I work in a medical environment, I was very upfront about my treatment and what was required as follow up and have not had any difficulty with coverage. I changed jobs when I was 2 years post op. My cancer experience has actually benefited my employer as I am now in Physician Recruitment and we all know the wide variety of physicians we meet on this road!

Planning wise, different employers view pre-existing conditions differently. I would recommend getting your one year all clear scans etc before switching jobs if you can't afford COBRA. (I know I couldn't.) Your followup checks should be covered if you are one year out of treatment with clean scans.

Good luck. I made the decision to wait to interview until I was over a year out. My attitude in interviews was that I was a survivor and damn proud of it. Wore my LIVESTRONG bracelet proudly and showed off my neck scars. I was not going to put myself through the agony of having to hide something I am so proud of accomplishing.

BTW, today is my one year anniversary with my new job!

Sincerely,
Lisa

Some insurance group plans for larger companies have a "no medical questions asked" policy.

Kaiser Permanente allows that even for very small group plans for self employed - if you set up your own plan. You have to prove that you really are self employed - Income tax returns, business licenses, more than 2 employees (spouses ok as long as you file jointly), etc.

Thanks for the advice. I've called the doctor to see if I can get my combined PET / CT done a few weeks early if I get that job offer - so that if it shows anything - I wouldnt' have given notice at my current employer (where I'm guaranteed FMLA, have current benefits etc...). If it is all clear - I'll be a little more at ease to switch jobs. The nurse is to get back with me tommorrow regarding this - as he wasn't in today.

Does anyone know how long it typically takes to get a PET approved for insurance (mine is an excluded procedure), and how long a wait it usually is to get in to a PET scan? I know that last part probably depends on how many are available in the city etc..

Amy, I can't give you good answers about either of those things but I switched jobs about 3 and 1/2 years ago and at the time I was hired, I had some kind of mysterious flu-like thing that my doctor was saying might be diverticulitis because it had gone on for so long--she sent me for a CT scan the afternoon of my first day and I was afraid my new insurance wouldn't cover it and neither would my old insurance. But it turned out the insurance there was effective the first day of work and there were no clauses about pre-existing conditions. So it's worth asking about if they offer you the job--just say you have to get some tests that need sceduling.

I'm so sorry to read about the FBI job you now feel like you need to pass on. That sounds hard.

Nelie

Amy, a federal law would protect you if you switched jobs, it is called HIPPA, and it allows emplyoees to switch jobs and you condition can not be considered pre-existing as long as you do not have a lapse in coverage greater than 62 days.For counting the lapse ends on your hire date,not your new effective date. For example, if you leave your job today 4-5-06 and you start your new job 4-10-06, according to HIPPA you would have been without coverage for 5 days. Even if your new coverage does not start for 90 days, the new hire date is used. I hope this helps.

Amy, I am sorry the name of the act that protects workers is the HIPAA act of 1996.

Well, I got the job offer and will probably take it. It involves a good deal of travel and since I'm not married - figured this is a way to do it without having to pay for it! It's for a Clinical Research Associate - so basically an auditor / monitor for drug trials. Maybe I'll get assigned to a oncology drug study - who knows. I'm not sure which pharma companies this company is contracted with yet. They don't tell you that until you officially start.

Anyway, the doctor ordered my PET/CT and I had that this morning - definitely not what I had expected. Very easy - in fact I just slept right through most of it. Took 2 valium, rested 15 minutes, got an injection of radionuclear tagged glucose, slept another 60 minutes, changed into clothes with no metal - got strapped to the board and slept through the rest of it! I work third shift and worked last night - so was tired and slept through almost all of the test. The results should be back Monday or Tuesday or which I will then accept this new job if the scan was negative. Thanks for all the info everyone offered.