My blog is called A Pain in the Neck, because that’s where one of my initial lymphoma tumors manifested itself. If I had a blog about the accompanying insurance issues, I’d call it A Pain in the A**. Pardon my language. Or my asterisks. A Pain in My Asterisks.
I don’t have time to list all my issues with health insurance. Our system is broken. Most people agree, and say something should be done about it. Why do so few profit at the expense of so many? Why is this allowed? Why do people vote against their own interests?
I hope it can be fixed, though I think it’s too late for me and my abbreviated lifetime. If the new PRRT treatment is cost-prohibitive, I know I’m not going to do it. As of right now, I know the hospitals and insurance companies are in negotiations so that it will become available soon. I’m personally doubtful the new treatment will work for me, but I would like to try it since it’s one of the only things left to try for me at this point.
What price tag would you put on the dignity of not waking up in a diaper full of your own waste? My health insurance won’t cover opium tincture, one of the only things that helps my tumor-related diarrhea. I decided to pay $150 per month for the tincture as I hope it will improve my quality of life. I am getting new health insurance within a few months, so maybe it will be better or worse. I’ll probably end up paying that amount for something else.
The hospital is also in the process of trying to get my health insurance to pay for my last day in the hospital in January. The doctors had been trying to prepare me to go home by switching my medications from intravenous to oral and trying to adjust my electrolytes. According to my insurance, I didn’t need to be in the hospital the last day as they prepared me for release.
If there were a way to take all my anger about being ill and channel it into a rage that would change things, I would. The health insurance company can kiss my asterisks.