Erin had her 4th embolization yesterday, and all went well! Yea! However she is not done yet and last week we recieved a letter that stated as of March 19, 2012 her surgeon will no longer be a participating provider with our insurance company! Does anyone have any advice as to where I go from here? We need to finish her treatment but I have no idea how we will pay for this. Please help.
Hi Lisa,
If it were me, I'd try several approaches.
Can her next embos be BEFORE 3/19?
Try to appeal to the insurance company (I know, uphill battle) that you started with Dr. X and you need to finish with Dr. X, even if it's after 3/19 to see if they will like 'grandfather' Erin.
Ask your Dr who he would recommend to finish. You might need to contact your insurance provider to see which DRs in your area with this specialty are covered under their plans.
Insurance Companies like to say NO. Your might be able to convince them to say YES, especially if you can find someone in the insurance regulating area that can assist(I know, uphill battle again).
Best wishes,
Ron, KS
I would talk to her doctor personally. He might be able to recommend someone else who does take your insurance. I had a lousy HMO at the time I was ill. Dr. Barrow was not on the their list of approved surgeons. The HMO doctor went to bat for me and talked the HMO into approving Dr. Barrow. Do not give up hope!
I think you can call the insurance and ask them if there is paperwork you can request for petitioning. Is there another qualified doctor that the insurance will cover?
Angela
Is there any chance her now-doctor would know of any AVM docs. who accept your insurance?
If that's not negotiable, I know that this isn't a popular option, but do you know if she's eligible for Medicaid?
A notice showed up on the moderator site, from Ben, talking about a new partnership that potentially offers financial assistance. I don't think it's been posted on the AVM site yet, but here are the key words:
Friends of Treasure is a charitable, tax-exempt, nonprofit organization, comprised
of professionals and volunteers dedicated to enhancing the dignity and quality of
life for anyone suffering from the life threatening illness called “Vascular
Malformation” and children with rare diseases.
For more information, please visit this link: http://www.friendsoftreasure.com/home.html
Other than what Ben posted about it, I don't have any further details.
Hope this helps.
Ron, KS
Try and work with your insurance company to find out if they will work with you since this is a pre-existing condition and speak to you neurosurgeon. A last case scenario that I can say is see if your neurosurgeon will take charity care (for the AVM). It is a long shot but might work. As of August my insurance was cancelled because the state thought that I made too much money a month and I had the car accident in October which is when the AVM was discovered. Fortunately, I have a neurologist and neurosurgeon that did not care that I didn't have insurance and was willing to work with me. Hope this helps some.