Health insurance issues after telling a doctor about gear usage

[rturk]

I told my doc and all he said was "I just need to tell you you shouldn't do it so my ass is covered"

 

[gotgame]

I told my doc and all he said was "I just need to tell you you shouldn't do it so my ass is covered"

Correct thats all that will happen at this time. And what about if you need to apply for health insurance in the future? Disability? Life insurance? What about future health issues that someone may try to relate to your gear usage?? There is ZERO benefit from telling your physician.

 

[naturalsux]

On Dr prescribed TRT, yes.

Exactly I been on hrt for yrs I insurance has never went up. Of course I don't give blood when I'm on a cycle. Hrt is illegal. My urology dr is cool as fuxk and dose t care that I'm on test he just wants to monitor me mainly for high hemoglobin. You have to feel you dr out and it's always Hrt. Not gear

 

[yatyas314]

only concern I had when I got my shoulder done was my thyroid level and anesthesia look it up . Its very dangerous

 

[hungryectomorph]

I strongly recommend not discussing this with your physician, unless you personally know him and be assured that he will keep it out of your chart. God forbid, if you ever have serious medical issues, you can bet that your insurance company will review your chart in detail. Any mention of AAS could lead to denial of claims.

Just my 2 cents,
-hungry

Edit- lol I just realized I'm an 8 yr member with two posts. I like proM but tend to not post.

 

[chinaboy]

I work in the medical field. I have never heard of a claim being denied because of past drug use. I work with musculoskeletal though. I have seen people get covered for injuries when they admit they were drunk and fell. Also have met people who hurt themselves with altercations with cops. I know personal friends who tell their surgeon about illicit street drug use prior to surgery. They all have been covered without question. I let my doctors know what's up. When it comes to money/ insurance or my life I choose my life. I wouldn't want to have a complication while under anesthesia due to AAS use. Patients tell me everyday about using drugs that are not prescribed and no one give a shit. You may look at them differently but that's it.

I would still lower your dose if you were to get work done. Or get done to trt levels and the. It is easier to hide.

Life insurance is another story. They can bump up costs if you have looked at a cigarette.

 

[BigTex]

So I have a doc now who has agreed to keep my gear usage off the books and out of charts. She's a damn good PCP, having graduated and done her residency at UT Health Sciences Center.

Problem is I got diagnosed with bone spurs in my right elbow from when I played tennis competitively in high school 9 years and 100 pounds ago, so I have to get surgery to have that corrected by an orthopedic surgeon. It has gotten almost unbearable as late, making it hard to write, much less bench.

I plan on going to the head doc for the Houston Texans because I want someone who deals with big guys and knows the strain we put on ourselves. The only snafu is that I'd prefer to disclose my gear usage to him, but I haven't locked down a job after I graduate in May from my MBA program. (I'm not going to say which one, but it's one of the best in the country and I'm in Texas... You can figure it out.)

This means I'll probably need to apply for self-coverage in July if I don't get lucky with an employer. Would I screw myself over for disclosing my gear usage? I know generally insurance doesn't cancel for this reason, but they can deny coverage of you don't already have it.

Thoughts?

Why is you feel you have to disclose this to anyone?

The head surgeon for the Houston Texans is Dr. Walter Lowe who is also my doctor and our team physician. He did a great job on putting re-attaching my quads and patella. Dr. Lowe works with nothing but athletes and knows well what athletes do and don't do. Trust me he will NOT want to hear about your use of steroids. He will tell you that most likely if you bring it up. So I would not waste any time telling him. Keep it to yourself. He is very aware of what is being used in sport.

I have no idea why anyone would want to admit to this knowing that health insurance companies are just looking for excuses to put you into a higher risk group and charge your more for your coverage. The best policy is don't ask, don't tell. Doctor Lowe will not ask you and does not care.

Dr. Lowe knowing or not knowing you use steroids will make no difference in how he repairs your elbow. Most likely he will use state of the art methods that will include blood rich platelet therapy. Possibly there are other things that he will ask you if you are interested in trying to help speed up recovery. The rest is up to you.

If you would PM me.....I think I know who your PCP is but I would like to know for sure. We have a Chinese guy here who is a PCP/sport medicine and would possibly switch if she is close. I have sent a lot of athletes to Dr. Lowe over the years to have surgery he does great work on elbows, knees and shoulders.