Cancer Ain’t Cheap

Whenever things are seemingly calm, that’s when the universe says oh no! Lets shake things up. Just because I CAN get stuff done irregardless to the ruckus doesn’t mean i LIKE to , universe. I’m perfectly fine with plain ol’ boring!

We have been fortunate though. Cancer ain’t cheap. But, the hubby was accepted and enrolled in insurance and they seemingly pay for everything. No co-payment. Cover transportation. They were a godsend. Also his doctors and hospital went above and beyond to find us grants and programs in which we can get anything not covered for free or request special authorization. The hospital approved my hubby for a partial grant which covered transportation to his radiation treatments. His doctors enrolled him in a pharmaceutical program which paid for his chemo which was 14000 for each prescription( it was oral chemotherapy, once cycle was either two or three prescriptions).

They covered 125,00 for the hospitalization bill.

So, we have been very , very fortunate and lucky.

While we may not had a penny to our name, his care and treatment and medication were guaranteed.

Yet, it wasn’t without struggle and fighting teeth and nail for it. And if you personally know us, we don’t cause trouble. We don’t poke around trying to get more for my money, as the saying goes. We apply. We wait for the notices. Or i get impatient and i call inquire about the status. They request something or visit, i run out to the store and fax or mail what they want or make photocopies and pack a bag for us and off we go to the office. We basically go to the doctors, the pharmacy and come home and live like hermits ( before i started working that is).

But, something ALWAYS went wrong. They stopped his benefits twice for no reason at all. They enrolled him in a third party insurance. They’ve even listed him as a U.S. Vet ( he never served!) They sent re-certification notices LATE so his benefits was suspended. They married us countless times( he will not qualify for benefits if we are married). I”m not going to even discuss the times they listed him as illegal and ineligible for benefits( He’s a US citizen but was born overseas in Germany , military parents and all).

This is not an exaggeration. Somethings is always messed up, and we have to fix it.  Last time ( over the summer) was a particular bad “mess up” on THEIR part. They enrolled him under his father’s insurance but his father’s insurance says he’s not enrolled. Meaning, insurance doesn’t pay squat. Which means we wouldn’t be able to afford a doctor visit or even pharmacy medication. Even generic brand is a pretty penny. The hubby went a month without insurance during that time and I Thank God every night he fared it well. We went to three different offices more than once. Spent countless hours on the phone. Doing phoning, faxing and mailing between several different states. Then finally, finally, I faxed the very last letter and called to confirm and everything was righted again.

Or so i thought.

This week bills seemed to pile in out of nowhere. Well it started last week. I understand it was the holidays so regardless of spending hours listening to elevator music and being HUNG UP on and being told I will received a call back THREE times on different occasions. I was frustrated. But , i understood. But, today when i received a $700 bill i saw red.

I called and got no help and assistance at first. SO i cut out the middle man and when through machine and machine ( automated calls) and finally got the hubby’s insurance directly and i demanded answers. Turns out, they never fixed the situation over the summer. There was NO record of it , though i specifically asked for notes to be added to his file over the summer.  It took all my control not to lose it. It wasn’t THIS specific workers fault and she was doing her best to help me. They claimed they never received that last letter i faxed over the summer.

AFter i hung up , in my rage I aggressively pulled the folders off my desk and tossed this about rather unceremoniously until i found it. The letter from the third party insurance that states he wasn’t enrolled since 2007! The letter was still attached to the fax receipt.

I left the house in rampage. Seeing red. Air of anger around me. I mean come on they never got it? I was holding the receipt! I was on my way to fax it again and mail it.But seriously,  this is a person’s TREATMENT you are messing me. Because the bills were not covered, the hubby’s next MRI isn’t being approved. And the next one is a big one. It will be the 2 year anniversary since surgery. Depending on the next MRI , the hubby will either be cleared STABLE ( his type of cancer they dont say remission, they say stable because his type of cancer it never really goes away it just lies dormant) and they will start him on  a rehab program to get back to normal thinking and fitness so he can start living his life again.

So, I’m walking to the pharmacy where i PAY to have stuff faxed and I’m completely in my head saying every single cuss word I know. Vaguely i hear a little ting ting sound, the metal of a dog’s collar. But, i’m so up in a fuss i just dismissed it. I was passing an apartment complex and I was about to step pass the entrance way which is like an alcove, open space and then the doors to enter several yards back. Thats when out of the corner of my eye i see something running directly at me. Fast.

I spin my head sideways and stop dead in my tracks ( deer and headlights) and see this big ball of fur skid to stop in front of me. It barked at me. Then continued running in a circle around the alcove space.

I laughed and kept walking.

When i came home after faxing and mailing I hugged Bianca. The storm has passed. I am tired.

Sure, stuff can never be peaceful and stress free. The bills are there and we do not have the money to pay them, at all. But, like i said, Cancer aint cheap. But, i’ll never stop fighting for my hubby and his insurance. I will never let him not get care and doctor treatment for fear of payment. I will not compromise quality of treatment either. He deserves the best and we have been getting the best and for that I am Thankful.

So bill me all you want. Loose my paperwork all you want.

You’ll just see me outside your office early morning with a big cup of coffee.  I have a good copy machine.