Emotions and costs of BC
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Hi there @sandramj
I am sorry that you are having to face this journey that is BC, but please feel welcomed here to talk, share, vent ask questions... I am still a newbie on this site - but I have found the support to absolutely invaluable to date.......the shared experiences from other brave women on this journey have been so helpful for me -and I hope that you find comfort from this site too x
I have to agree that I had a rude bloody shock when I learnt how expensive it was to have BC!!! from the moment of diagnosis the question I heard the most from the medical people was "do you have private health insurance?' ..well yes I do - but what should that matter. I have BC...it needs to be removed from my body.....let's just get it done...I am not going to quibble about getting my dr of choice - just get it out!!! I have shared the following out of understanding and shared frustration as I think this system really stinks!!!!!!
long story short.....having private health cover meant I was diagnosed on Friday and saw the surgeon the next Monday. ( given where I live I had only 2 surgeons to opt from and one of them was overseas at that time...but both work in the public and private system - hence it would have been either of them do my surgery regardless of my health cover)...my breast surgeon was beyond amazing!!!!! even as a private patient I have never seen, and will never see a bill from her.....she feels it is not right to charge women with breast cancer for live saving surgery......here here !! she felt I was an ideal candidate for immediate reconstruction with implants at the time of bilateral mastectomy and referred me on to a plastic and reconstructive surgeon ...again with private cover this happened quickly.....I felt comfortable with the procedure she explained and asked what my out of pockets would be??? hmmm...cue awkward silence in the room.....she said I would be emailed a quote.....but then also pushed me to book a date for surgery (as she was going overseas for 10 days very soon)......
so..I got the the quote.....the plastic surgeon does not participate in the no-gap scheme...so $5000 up front prior to surgery please......arhhhhh...WTF???? I went back to my breast surgeon and said nup - I want to go public please.... you can imagine my shock when she said that the mastectomy would be done in the same time frame, but under the public system I would not be able to have immediate reconstruction and would be looking at 12-18 months on the wait list (best case scenario).....psychologically I am not made for that kind of wait....at 40 yrs old, with a hubby, 3 kids, and working a management role full time I just wanted to get on with things and get back to a "new normal" as soon as I could.... so I swallowed my pride and asked my parents for a loan to facilitate the upfront payment...no big deal for many people, but I have a very strained relationship with my family, and as an only child with no other living relatives we had no other option but to ask. ( all I could think about was school fees, bills for my daughters braces, and driving lessons/car costs for our eldest child)...silly but real to me at the time.... of course my parents helped out...but my pride was wounded and I was already calculating a repayment plan before I hit the operating table....
throw in the $1200 bill from the anaesthetist which was required to be paid in full before surgery, and the excess bill for the hospital stay and I was getting pretty cranky and quickly broke!!!
I am have used up all of my sick leave, and am now rationing my fortnightly pay by using annual leave for one week and leave without pay for the next. Sounds silly but I really don't want to use all of my annual leave as I would love to take a week or 2 later in the year just to get away and chill - just to have a normal non cancer related break!! I need to go back to work sooner than I wanted too because of stupid $$$$
anyway that is my rant - I was just so shocked to realise that some doctors have no morals and are happy to profit from people who's lives have been turned upside down by cancer...no one asks for this!!!
I wish you all the very best on your journey ahead xxx
Sally
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I had immediate recon in the public system. I did choose tissue expander though as plastic surgeon would mean delay and a breast surgeon can do the expander surgery. Amazing how we are told different things.0
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Yes, I would ask the surgeon to bulk bill, sometimes they will,I also chose the private for surgery but my fund covered all, I also paid for the MRI in the public system as it is not covered once you are diagnosed with breast cancer! I blame the current govt for some of these charges. I have however found the nursing care in the public system much better than the private as generally they are more experienced and knowledgeable0
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@sandramj. I thnk you are spot on in that there is the wrong assumption that because you have private health insurance you are wealthy. My husband and I are still working with two teenagers in the house. We are in no way wealthy. I thnk the letter to the Drs is a great idea. The breast care nurses when I finally caught up with them said it is often hard for them to catch up with private ladies. Sadly the nurses in the private chemo unit where I went were not very welcoming to them. I hope you follow the McGrath link that someone gave you. I found they are often very busy, but if I left a phone message they always got back to me. Hugs. Paula xx0
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Thank you to all for your comments and especially the love and concern from Sandramj. As women we all do what we have to - and more - and aren't we good at juggling ?
I guess my main issue is the lack of finance ($15,000 pa is not a lot) although I have been advised I can get a health care card so that will help with some things. I rang the surgeon and oncologist but neither of them accept that - they always charge an out of pocket. Oh well. If I have more issues over time guess who won't be getting the 'repeat business',eh ?
I am glad we made the decision to move to a regional area (from rural) as there are at least support services down here, especially in time a day care centre for my partner which will give me a break. (I guess you read that a "I made the decision" as he just went along with the idea - over time). I knew a problem was brewing and figured we'd be better to move earlier than later rather than gt him more confused.
Like most of us BC ladies, we have worked all our lives and get no help where some people come into the country and get everything - not fair. Yeah, Di, don't you just love the 'over 50' scenario?
Sending all big hugs and thanks for being here to listen to my grumbles.
Summer :-)
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