Author Topic: Can we help Nani out here??  (Read 5923 times)

4cm in Pacific Northwest

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Can we help Nani out here??
« on: September 24, 2009, 10:47:56 am »

Ok folks I want you to read these two post links by this young 24-year-old new mom.

RE “Hi”
http://anausa.org/forum/index.php?topic=10589.msg122031#msg122031

And this one
RE “Angry”
http://anausa.org/forum/index.php?topic=10591.msg122085#msg122085

Her grandmother, a retired nurse, who used to help her has passed away.
Her mother has cancer.
Her only small child has shows signs of epilepsy.

What can we do to help Nani here???

I am sorry… being that I was raised in Canada I cannot get over the fact that her medical insurance is refusing her physiotherapy and other care. Granted there I experienced plenty of issues, in Canada, with getting prompt care- but this insurance woe is horrible.

Do any of you more experienced Americans have some ideas and resources to share with Nani? There has to be some help and resources out there for her.

DHM
« Last Edit: September 24, 2009, 11:29:19 am by 4cm in Pacific Northwest »
4cm Left, 08/22/07 R/S 11+ hr surgery Stanford U, Dr. Robert Jackler, Dr. Griffith Harsh, Canadian fellow Assist. Dr. Sumit Agrawal. SSD, 3/6 on HB facial scale, stick-on-eyeweight worked, 95% eye function@ 6 months. In neuromuscular facial retraining. Balance regained! Recent MRI -tumor receded!

Nani

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Re: Can we help Nani out here??
« Reply #1 on: September 24, 2009, 11:22:43 am »
Just a quick correction.  Gabe is showing signs of Epilepsy.  We go next Thursday for an EEG and the week after that for his neurologist appointment.  My husband is on the phone with the insurance company about him now.

EDIT:  For my son, I am going to have to pay $750 plus 20%.  Is this normal or does my ins suck.  I am waiting on a call from the office doing the test to discuss options.  I just had to pay the $750 deductible for my ins.  Plus the co-pays for 3 doctors and his doctors visit.  We can do it.  Just not all at once. 
« Last Edit: September 24, 2009, 11:30:48 am by Nani »
- AN surgery 3-17-09. 3.8 x 5.1cm tumor.  1 month in the hospital and a couple in ST, OT and PT.

*People are always going to be behind you telling you you can't.  The important thing is to turn around and say 'watch me'.

4cm in Pacific Northwest

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Re: Can we help Nani out here??
« Reply #2 on: September 24, 2009, 11:32:43 am »
Sorry Nani- correction noted above in green.

Hang in there. Hopefully your husband will have a productive phone conversation with results favorable to your family situation. (I will certainly pray for this)

Give it time- hopefully others, here on the forum, will chime in with some resources too.

DHM
4cm Left, 08/22/07 R/S 11+ hr surgery Stanford U, Dr. Robert Jackler, Dr. Griffith Harsh, Canadian fellow Assist. Dr. Sumit Agrawal. SSD, 3/6 on HB facial scale, stick-on-eyeweight worked, 95% eye function@ 6 months. In neuromuscular facial retraining. Balance regained! Recent MRI -tumor receded!

Nani

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Re: Can we help Nani out here??
« Reply #3 on: September 24, 2009, 12:07:30 pm »
Thank you. 
- AN surgery 3-17-09. 3.8 x 5.1cm tumor.  1 month in the hospital and a couple in ST, OT and PT.

*People are always going to be behind you telling you you can't.  The important thing is to turn around and say 'watch me'.

Sue

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Re: Can we help Nani out here??
« Reply #4 on: September 24, 2009, 12:54:29 pm »
Nothing is going to make you feel better about your situation right now...but, we have a $2000 deductible on our insurance.  Can you believe THAT?  I am having to put off my follow-up MRI because the insurance will only pay $400 of the total cost.  I can't afford to have my MRI right now.  Especially since I just am having a cap/crown put on a tooth (I have to pay $900 because my dental insurance is pretty much used up for the year) and of course, my husband had to have brakes put on his car and he's going to have to get new tires before the winter sets in.  NOTHING compared to what you are going through, and I am not comparing the two things.  Just thought you'd like to know that others are somewhere in the area of your own boat, hanging on for dear life.  Unfortunately there is a whole sea of people hanging on for dear life.  I'm so, so sorry about your situation and I do hope everything will be okay for you soon. 

Sue in Vancouver USA
Sue in Vancouver, USA
 2 cm Left side
Diagnosed 3/13/06 GK 4-18-06
Gamma Knife Center of Oregon
My Blog, where you can read my story.


http://suecollins-blog.blogspot.com/2010/02/hello.html


The only good tumor be a dead tumor. Which it's becoming. Necrosis!
Poet Lorry-ate of Goode

Nani

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Re: Can we help Nani out here??
« Reply #5 on: September 24, 2009, 01:25:19 pm »
Sue,

  Suddenly my measly $750 deductible isn't so bad.  I couldn't imagine $2k.  It stinks that insurance companies get away with this.
- AN surgery 3-17-09. 3.8 x 5.1cm tumor.  1 month in the hospital and a couple in ST, OT and PT.

*People are always going to be behind you telling you you can't.  The important thing is to turn around and say 'watch me'.

Sue

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  • Que sera, sera
    • My Blog
Re: Can we help Nani out here??
« Reply #6 on: September 24, 2009, 03:28:36 pm »
Yes, it stinks, but my husband works for a small company, and every year they review their insurance options and they do what they can afford to pay. For the last 3 years we've had 3 different Insurance companies.  So, this is one of the insurance plans that they can afford, but it puts more burden on us.  In this case, I can't really blame the insurance company, but the economy.  My husband is in the carpet business, and the recession finally caught up to them and his employers are doing the best that they can.  So, now more comes out of his paycheck as they can no longer pay for all of his insurance.  So he is paying more each month for insurance and we feel we can't afford to see the doctor because of the high deductible....which is rather weird to me.  We're just hoping that the company can hang on.  I won't be on Medicare for another year and a half, and if they go out of business, I have no idea what will happen.  I don't know if we could afford Cobra.  It's scary. 

My husband was reading about the Canadian health care in the paper, and the comment was made something to the effect of: yes, you may have to wait to get treatment, but nobody goes bankrupt in Canada because of health problems."  I think many people are one health crisis away from living on the street.  it's sad, sad, sad. 

I did talk with the nice lady in charge of the financial things at the hospital and she told me about payment options, but still..almost $90 a month is a steep payment to add to the monthly budget.  We're trying to get RID of our debt, instead of adding to it.  Having an AN has been an expensive proposition.  I find it very stressful.

Best of luck to you,

Sue in Vancouver USA
Sue in Vancouver, USA
 2 cm Left side
Diagnosed 3/13/06 GK 4-18-06
Gamma Knife Center of Oregon
My Blog, where you can read my story.


http://suecollins-blog.blogspot.com/2010/02/hello.html


The only good tumor be a dead tumor. Which it's becoming. Necrosis!
Poet Lorry-ate of Goode