Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Status Update: May 16, 2012

Finally arrived in Minn. a few days ago.  Our stuff will be here on Sat. but getting settled in a bit.  The incisions from the appendectomy are fairly healed, and I've now got appointments with a new Primary Care Physician (Friday), Oncologist (June) and at the Mayo Clinic with a Transplant Physician (July).  I did lose 20% of my health insurance when I left AZ and am keeping my fingers crossed that Mayo has a program that can cover that for me.  My AZ Oncologist thinks there's a chance for that since I have a rare cancer and they might want to follow me and my progress.  Let's hope so - do not want to have to pay 20% of my medical expenses!

Health Care providers who underwrite for Medicare may or may not be required to offer supplemental gap insurance for the final 20% depending on each individual state's regulation.  In AZ they didn't require them to offer gap insurance to those under 65 so even though I could have afforded it, I couldn't get it.  Luckily I was covered for that piece under a special AZ state exemption program.  They don't have anything I'm eligible for here in Minn. though, so now I have to see if there are Health providers who offer Supplemental insurance to under 65, and calculate if the expense will be more or less than my actual 20% costs.  It costs a LOT more to get that final 20% than it does for the initial 80% if you have a serious pre-existing condition!

I so wish we had a public option for health insurance that would force commercial businesses to compete rather than collude!

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