Insurance company panic has struck again!!!! One thing that we all deal with is annoying stuff to do with insurance companies. They are there to protect us from being charged too much, and to help us in times when we really wouldn’t be able to afford the healthcare if we didn’t have it. So we love them for this.
Shawn and I have had a really hard time over the last few years being “ok” with having our kiddos on state-run insurance…its paid for a lot, but we feel as adults we should really be self-reliant enough to do for ourselves. And then when the Obamacare Act hit a couple years ago, Shawn and I got booted onto the state-run insurance also, due to our household size vs. our income level, even though we were doing ok paying for insurance plans through his work. Not a fun relationship for independent people. We now had to find different doctors in another city that would take our insurance, we had to get all of Shawn’s daily meds re-authorized and have to redo this every year (just to make sure the other meds he’s already taken through the years wouldn’t be okay for him, duh!), and we had to get re-authorized for his CPAP machine that he needs to breathe every night. We have constant issues with his prescription re-certifications and have had constant issues with any change over they do in their systems for any of our coverage, which has been interesting in the way that is all handled as well. Its not been a loving relationship. Independent Insurance was MUCH better! Well, this year we realized just why we needed to have government insurance…I got CANCER. And guess what? Its not cheap, and its not covered fully by most insurances. And also, most insurance companies won’t allow you to enroll if you have had a Cancer or Cancer type treatment in the past 5-10 years. My state run insurance, covers it all. We have to jump through hoops and my docs have to jump through hoops to get all the paperwork correct and keep them updated on income and household sizes, but its covered. Yup, I understand that is a huge blessing. But I did not FULLY understand it until I got a letter in the mail today, stating that Shawn, Jakob and I would be dis-enrolled from our insurance as of June 30th. BOOM! Yeah, I didn’t handle that well, not at all. In fact, I’m still shaking typing this even thought I’m sure its going to be ok. (Spoiler: its a notification issue from Jakob moving out and his increased income still being recorded under our household). It would mean that I no longer had coverage for my infusions, for my meds, for my surgeries, for anything. Shawn’s stuff we have figured out since the last “pain in the neck” situation…we bought him his own CPAP, not controlled by insurance stipulations, and have a better source for purchasing his prescription out of pocket, when needed. But I can’t even change to another insurance company due to our income being so tight, and the fact that the premiums and copays and other such things would be astronomical with my Cancer diagnosis. So yeah…right now I HATE my insurance company for sending me a letter in the mail that caused me such panic and distress when I have cancer and I’m supposed to be avoiding stress, that caused me to burst into tears in front of my poor little boys who I was enjoying a wonderful afternoon with. But, as I said a panicked prayer, I realized this is what MANY cancer patients go through every time they go to the doctor, every time a new treatment is suggested or prescribed…wondering how much its going to cost, if their insurance will cover it, and if not, how they can even think of having the treatment because they don’t have any more money to put towards it, and if they borrow how they will ever be able to pay it all back. Heavenly Father also helped me to have clarity of thought afterwards, realizing that Jakob’s name shouldn’t be attached to our insurance plan anymore. He’s not in our household anymore and so his name, income, and insurance situation should be on a separate file. And then…duh! I realized I totally forgot to notify the insurance company about his move on May 28th. Ugh!
Now I know why Shawn was stressing over what will happen when Julia moves out, and when he finally gets an increase in pay. He’s been trying his hardest to get this training he NEEDS for his job now, that will also open doors for future positions and such. He’s trying to ensure that when he does get a pay increase, it will be substantial enough for him to pay for my pricey insurance when I get booted off State-run insurance due to decreased household size and increased income. So, to those of you who wondered why and how my husband could leave me for 7 weeks right after a major and possibly devastating surgery like this…that’s why…he’s thinking ahead. I love him! He is so torn by having to be away from me, but knowing that he may not get another chance to do this training and get this certification (he’s been trying to get it authorized and scheduled for 3 years now). We scheduled the surgery as soon as we could so he could be here for the worst of it, and are working on getting him opportunities to come home two weekends in August. That’s a whole other worry in itself. Time and Money, ugh!
Anyway, I will be calling the insurance company on Monday morning, being put on hold several times I’m sure, pleading with them to re-instate the insurance before the usual 30 days they are allowed to process the new information (because my surgery is within those 30 days and after June 30th), throwing down the Cancer card and a few tears I am sure as I plead with them again and eventually get a manager type person on the phone. And even then…I still may have to reschedule my surgery. I sincerely hope and prayer it works out better than that. So, prayers appreciated for this too. I’m sure it will be okay, just going to be a nerve-wracking weekend waiting to see how it all turns out, but not as nerve-wracking as NO insurance, deep breathes, sigh.
Dalynn's Road to Recovery 