HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Anyone else tired of fighting?

Support Forums
>
Breast Cancer
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 12/6/2005 8:16 PM (GMT 0)
I don't normally post like this but I am so tired of all of the BS that goes along w/ having medicaid. I believe that after today I have decided to find a new oncologist. I am sick of the office staff denying me the right to pay my spenddown on a monthly basis. The billing office told me that I could make payment arrangments, which I did. Now this little know it all...hmmmm, what word can I type to describe her?...calls me this morning and tells me that I can't have chemo until I pay the $200 up front. Now where the heck am I to get that kind of money? I have an organization that will be paying my spenddown starting in Jan but they won't accept that. I am soooo sick and tired of fighting all of the bureaucracy. I wonder if it is even worth continuing treatments? I have been w/ my onco for over 5 yrs and this is the way that they treat their patients! I am going to start getting my state retirement in Jan. It will only be 175 a month but that ups my spenddown from $200 to $409. Is it worth it? Maybe our wonderful governor should have to live as some of us are in Missouri. I pray to God that I don't meet him on the street or in the capitol. Just needed to let off steam. Think all of the tears have dried up. Hoping now that I can get mad enough to fight this bs!

Deb

Posted 12/6/2005 10:48 PM (GMT 0)

((((((((((((Deb))))))))))))

So sorry you are dealing with this crap. You have a right to be angry, but you just hang in there, ok? Giving up treatment is not an option. No one wins in that scenario. I would talk directly to your onc. and bypass the *#($*. Maybe then you could get some resolution.

Good luck.

Hugs,

Julie

Posted 12/6/2005 11:31 PM (GMT 0)
You are right to be angry. I hate to see what medicaid is going to be like when I become of age to get it. I hate to think of people who don't have any kind of insurance. I guess they just have to die. I was so surprised when I went to the ER today that someone from the Admin office came in there to get my ins card and ID then came back and asked for the copay of $50. I've always been billed in the past. I should have asked him what if I didn't have it to pay right then. Would they throw me out and not bill me?
Posted 12/7/2005 1:07 AM (GMT 0)
Have you been in touch with the American Cancer Society? If they can't directly help, they can put you in touch with CancerCare or some other organization who may be able to help you out with some of your treatment bills. Ask for legal assistance too if necessary, they are there to help. Please make a few phone calls or speak with a social worker and see if you can get some assistance. I think too that you might want to explain your situation to your onc, doctors really don't know what goes on with their patients' billing, I would sure think and hope he would be understanding, I know my onc would be. Another thought, if you are getting chemo at your onc's office, it might be better to get it at a hospital or cancer center instead, they are usually more professional and better able to deal with these types of billing issues. Take a deep breath, get a good night's sleep and keep fighting, it's stupid, aggravating, insulting, stressful bs, but it's necessary sometimes unfortunately. Good luck!

Jen

Posted 12/7/2005 4:55 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the kind words. When I was first diagnosed w/ bc 5 yrs ago, I had been working for a private company for over a yr. I was working 39 1/2 hrs a week. Promised for 6 mos that I would be "fulltime" w/ a newly created position. Now, I have no choice but to stay w/ medicaid as no other insurance co will cover me. I have been in touch w/ Cancercare. They put me in touch w/ a group called PSI (Patient Service, Inc). They are going to pay my spenddown beginning in January. I placed a call to my onco and hopefully she will cb tomorrow. My first 2 chemo treatments were in the hospital. I can't walk in there w/out getting sick to my stomach. My grandson was born there in June and the min I walked thru the front door I headed straight for the nearest restroom. Associate the smell w/ the chemo. I also talked w/ an attorney today. He said that if they refuse to allow me to make payments for the spenddown amt, that is discrimination as they allow those that have private insurance to make payment arrangements. I don't know if I will file a lawsuit if I can't get this worked out but I am thinking about it. I also talked to my surgeon and got the name of an onco here where I live. I called and the earliest that I can get an appt is 12-23. NOT! I am going to have my surgeon, manipulative therapist, bil (who is an obgyn) and anyone else I can think of to call and get me an earlier appt. It is the almighty dollar now that is more impt than the patient. Whether it is in an ER or a drs office. Maybe I shouldn't be so old. I can remember when a dr would make a house call to see a patient that was sick. Oh well. Deep breath (many of them) taken and going to bed!             
Posted 12/7/2005 8:28 PM (GMT 0)
Deb

Im so sorry for all that you are going through. I know how you feel about the money thing all of this is killing us financially I have so many bills that Im not sure if I will ever be able to pay them. I dont know anything about medicare or how it works so I cant help you there. Do they have any study groups in your area? If they do try to get on one and then all of your treatments are free. Take a deap breath or deink a glass of wine and relax. :)
Posted 12/8/2005 10:10 PM (GMT 0)
Debbie,

 

I'm so sorry about what you are going through.  I can only imagine how hard it must be.  I've been pretty lucky and haven't had any problems with this sort of thing.  Hang in there.  And, YES, it is absolutely worth fighting for and continuing treatments!  Don't give up!!! 

Posted 12/8/2005 10:51 PM (GMT 0)

Well, I received a call from the administrator of my onco office. Suddenly, it is okay for me to make payment arrangements for the spenddown. I can continue w/ my treatments. He was so nice it made me want to puke. He said that I was absolutely correct about everything but the $200 being paid. I asked him what changed his mind. His answer was that they didn't want to lose me as a patient. I started laughing and asked him if it had anything to do w/ my attorney contacting him? There was dead silence. I told him that I would be there on Tues for my treatment but I wanted all of my entire file copied so that I could have it in my possession. Also that I didn't want to have to deal w/ this problem each month. That I didn't want to talk to Melissa or him about this again. That any further discussion would be thru my attorney. He did admit that they allowed patients w/ PRIVATE insurace to make payment arrangements. So he is aware that there is a great potential there for a discrimination lawsuit. So, for the time being, I will continue to have treatments there but I am looking for another oncologist.

Thanks for all of the support.

Deb

Posted 12/9/2005 4:50 PM (GMT 0)
Deb

You go girl! I think it is so sad that we have to threaten a law suit before getting what we should have had in the first place. I had to do the same thing at my job just so that I could go back to work. I hate the stress it puts on you. why dont these people realize what we have already been through and be nicer??????? Good luck and keep fighting it is worth it.
Posted 12/9/2005 7:28 PM (GMT 0)
BRAVO! Deb!!! You make me proud! It is a shame you had to go through all of this, but I think you have helped at least one other patient someday. Good for you! L&H, Gail
Posted 12/15/2005 12:36 AM (GMT 0)
Thumbs up Deb. What a bunch of crap! I've noticed that many people working in the doctors officers are really b----- too. . Usually the doctor isn't as bad. I say usually! Hang in there. You can't give up because of them. Keep the lawyer Hugs, Di
Posted 12/15/2005 4:10 AM (GMT 0)

Thanks for all of the support. I went for my chemo and visit w/ my onoc yesterday. First time in 3 weeks..grrrrrrr I stepped out of the elevator and who was the first person that I ran into...the B.... Melissa. I no more than got signed in and sat down to visit w/ some other patients that I  knew and here comes Karen from the business office. Melissa had made sure that Karen brought the forms up for me to sign. I told Karen that I wasn't upset w/ her but I didn't plan to have any contact w/ Melissa again as long as I was living. lol My visit w/ Dr. Mary lasted almost an hr. Most of that was discussion. She was very upset and actually started crying. I told her that I felt she and the other onco needed to stand together and fight for the patients. She kept telling me that she didn't want me to leave and I told her that I didn't want to go elsewhere but that I would NOT be treated like dirt nor would I have the stress again. So, we will see. I am still keeping my appt w/ the new onoc on the 23rd. Need that backup plan. And yes, my attorney is ready to go as soon as I call him. I am hoping and praying that it won't come to that.

Hugs..Deb

Posted 12/15/2005 4:16 AM (GMT 0)
Wow, you are great. Maybe I need to go in and have a few words with my old Onc. Actually, I did yell at him and he knows he has been a jerk. I hear that he has two sides and I have seen them both. I can't believe that she actually cried though. Sure would love to meet you. Maybe in the spring we can do the drive and get together. Love and hugs,
Di
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply