SF writer Janet Freeman-Daily has been fighting lung cancer since 2011. She’s written a blog post about a biopsy that her doctor requested that she can’t get, because the insurance company denied the claim.
When I returned home from my recent road trip, a letter from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois (my health insurance company, also known as BCBSIL) was waiting for me. Even though I already knew they denied my appeal for last September’s biopsy, I was amazed at how quickly I transitioned from tired but happy traveler to enraged cancer patient.
The upshot of their message was this:
“You already have metastatic lung cancer. A biopsy won’t change the fact that you’re going to die from cancer.”
Here’s another excerpt.
My biggest frustration is that in my case – and for an increasing number of lung cancer patients — the doomsday doctor is WRONG. I’m a perfect example of a stage IV patient who has a good prospect for years of a reasonably active life despite my disease.
Please go read the full post at Insuring the Terminal Patient | Gray Connections.
