View Original Post

OK so you think that if you're covered under the ACA that your insurance carrier can't drop you for 2017....WRONG. Here in good old Ohio, Medical Mutual of "Ohio" is cutting me out for 2017 due to "fiscal reasons". When I called their agent , she said I'm being dumped because I live in the wrong county (wayne). I told her that I didn't believe what she had been directed to tell me by MM's battalion of lawyers was the truth. The reason is because I have cancer (NHL) and need the insurance. I filed a complaint with the Ohio Insurance Commissioner , that got me nowhere as I was told that they can't make a company offer coverage if they choose not to offer it in my county. So ,I told the commish's office that Medical Mutual should drop the "of Ohio" tag and go with "of Just Certain Parts Of Ohio". As if cancer and chemo wasn't enough.

Approximately a quarter of the survivors of cancer treatment (breast, melanoma, genitourinary, head and neck, etc.) will eventually have to cope with the lifelong condition of lymphedema. In spite of this, Medicare and many health insurers do not cover the costs of the compression bandage systems, garments, devices and supplies which must be used by the survivor every day to control their lymphedema. Uncontrolled lymphedema leaves the survivor at greatly increased risk of recurrent infection and progression to harder to treat stages and eventually to disability. In only one state of the union has the ACA brought an improvement to the plight of the lymphedema patient. California has defined the "essential health benefits" offered by marketplace insurance contracts to explicitly include "compression burn garments and lymphedema wraps and garments". Details are found on the LymphActivist's Site at http://www.lymphactivist.org/aca_&_lymphedema.pdf

My wife is going to be in a CAR-T clinical trial. She has relapsed with her CLL-17p while being treated with Ibrutinib first(that worked for 3 years)and then while using Venetoclax(that worked for 7 months). With the election results who knows what will happen with health care. The Republicans have repeatedly called for junking the ACA. But, they have never put forth a detailed plan of what they would replace it with. Currently 20 million people would lose their health insurance if it is junked. Do we go back to no preexisting conditions allowed? Do we return to the days of "you have met your insurance cap now sell your house to pay your bills"? I am very worried. These are indeed freighting times.

I agree, the uncertainty of healthcare is a huge stressor for me since the election. I'm pretty sure I'll be ok for health insurance for 2017. After that, who knows? Do I get genetic testing to determine some health issues? Or will that come back to bite me later because I know about a genetic mutation and I'm too much of a risk for health insurance? I really just want to be healthy. I didn't go looking to have lots of medical appointments, tests, and huge bills. I know of women in my breast cancer support groups who already have to choose between rent and medicine. Will I be in that population someday? I hate that there are people who care more about their fiscal gains than people.

The insurance industry owns one of the most powerful group of lobbyists in the USA. Money is no obstacle when it comes to supporting their lobbyists or saturation advertising. They live by a special Golden Rule : "They who have the most gold get to make all the rules".

Whats the situation now? Did you got the insurance? My friend, who was also suffering from the lymphoma cancer also faced the same situation and decided to consult a lawyer like http://www.yelp.com/biz/tarabay-bechara-paris to help get the insurance as it provides the protection.