HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - My Medical ins

hutchibk · 10-27-2009, 04:44 PM

Steph - I pay $320 per month for my govt (medicare)/private (medigap and part D) blend of coverage. I was paying $450 per month for my BCBS coverage when I canceled it a couple of years ago. Still waiting 18 months later for medicare to make good on a brain MRI that they should have paid for and we have appealed 4 times. With the way things seem to be headed, I want out of Medicare so bad I could vomit.

As I like to say: I am for enhancement and refinement, not "deform" which I fear is where we will end up. Rich, you are square on target my friend.

Lien - The dutch system in the last few years is leaps and bounds better than it used to be when it was government controlled, one that was crumbling in the last decade to one that shifts much of the financial burden to private insurance and mandates that you purchase it. Yes, your premiums are cheaper, but your taxes are much higher. However, it is hard to imagine that even though our taxes will increase, our premiums will decrease... things just aren't adding up to something smart and visionary with all of the proposals we are being pummeled with. http://www.thomaswhite.com/explore-t...re-system.aspx

10-27-2009, 04:44 PM	#10
hutchibk Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 3,519	Re: My Medical ins - Premium nearly doubled !!! Steph - I pay $320 per month for my govt (medicare)/private (medigap and part D) blend of coverage. I was paying $450 per month for my BCBS coverage when I canceled it a couple of years ago. Still waiting 18 months later for medicare to make good on a brain MRI that they should have paid for and we have appealed 4 times. With the way things seem to be headed, I want out of Medicare so bad I could vomit. As I like to say: I am for enhancement and refinement, not "deform" which I fear is where we will end up. Rich, you are square on target my friend. Lien - The dutch system in the last few years is leaps and bounds better than it used to be when it was government controlled, one that was crumbling in the last decade to one that shifts much of the financial burden to private insurance and mandates that you purchase it. Yes, your premiums are cheaper, but your taxes are much higher. However, it is hard to imagine that even though our taxes will increase, our premiums will decrease... things just aren't adding up to something smart and visionary with all of the proposals we are being pummeled with. http://www.thomaswhite.com/explore-t...re-system.aspx __________________ Brenda NOV 2012 - 9 yr anniversary JULY 2012 - 7 yr anniversary stage IV (of 50...) Nov'03~ dX stage 2B Dec'03~ Rt side mastectomy, Her2+, ER/PR+, 10 nodes out, one node positive Jan'04~ Taxotere/Adria/Cytoxan x 6, NED, no Rads, Tamox. 1 year, Arimadex 3 mo., NED 14 mo. Sept'05~ micro mets lungs/chest nodes/underarm node, Switched to Aromasin, T/C/H x 7, NED 6 months - Herceptin only Aug'06~ micro mets chest nodes, & bone spot @ C3 neck, Added Taxol to Herceptin Feb'07~ Genetic testing, BRCA 1&2 neg Apr'07~ MRI - two 9mm brain mets & 5 punctates, new left chest met, & small increase of bone spot C3 neck, Stopped Aromasin May'07~ Started Tykerb/Xeloda, no WBR for now June'07~ MRI - stable brain mets, no new mets, 9mm spots less enhanced, CA15.3 down 45.5 to 9.3 in 10 wks, Ty/Xel working magic! Aug'07~ MRI - brain mets shrunk half, NO NEW BRAIN METS!!, TMs stable @ 9.2 Oct'07~ PET/CT & MRI show NED Apr'08~ scans still show NED in the head, small bone spot on right iliac crest (rear pelvic bone) Sept'08~ MRI shows activity in brain mets, completed 5 fractions/5 consecutive days of IMRT to zap the pesky buggers Oct'08~ dropped Xeloda, switched to tri-weekly Herceptin in combo with Tykerb, extend to tri-monthly Zometa infusion Dec'08~ Brain MRI- 4 spots reduced to punctate size, large spot shrunk by 3mm, CT of torso clear/pelvis spot stable June'09~ new 3-4mm left cerrebellar spot zapped with IMRT targeted rads Sept'09~ new 6mm & 1 cm spots in pituitary/optic chiasm area. Rx= 25 days of 3D conformal fractionated targeted IMRT to the tumors. Oct'09~ 25 days of low dose 3D conformal fractionated targeted IMRT to the bone mets spot on rt. iliac crest that have been watching for 2 years. Added daily Aromasin back into treatment regimen. Apr'10~ Brain MRI clear! But, see new small spot on adrenal gland. Change from Aromasin back to Tamoxifen. June'10~ Tumor markers (CA15.3) dropped from 37 to 23 after one month on Tamoxifen. Continue to monitor adrenal gland spot. Remain on Tykerb/Herceptin/Tamoxifen. Nov'10~ Radiate positive mediastinal node that was pressing on recurrent laryngeal nerve, causing paralyzed larynx and a funny voice. Jan'11~ MRI shows possible activity or perhaps just scar tissue/necrotic increase on 3 previously treated brain spots and a pituitary spot. 5 days of IMRT on 4 spots. Feb'11~ Enrolled in T-DM1 EAP in Denver, first treatment March 25, 2011. Mar'11~ Finally started T-DM1 EAP in Denver at Rocky Mountain Cancer Center/Rose on Mar. 25... hallelujah. "I would rather be anecdotally alive than statistically dead."