Need medical advice, health probs w/ no insurance

qbkilla · Mar 5, 2010

Hey guys I was wondering if you could give me some guidance. Here is my situation. I have some serious symptoms (lymph nodes, pain, itching etc) and from my research there is a very good probability i have lymphoma a form of cancer. These have not gone away in over a month and I think it is time to go to a doc.

However I starteda new job, and my insurance will not kick in for another month. I am very worried and the symptoms are getting worse, and I would rather not wait for my insurance to kick in. I would like to see a doc now.

I know if i get daignosed with lymphoma when my insurance kicks in treatment will not be covered, it will be a pre-existing condition. I am not really worried about future bills, just my health.

My fear is that I will go to the ER, and they will find lymphoma, and because I can not pay upfront, and because I do not have insurance, i will be SOL and I will not recieve treatment. Can this happen? Or will they just treat me (wiht no insurance) and set up a payment plan?

I am not familar with how this stuff works at all. I really want to get my symptoms and lymph node checked out but i dont want to get screwed over and get diagnosed and be denied treatment. I can wait a month for my insurance, but I would rather not. I want to find out whats wrong, get treatment, and move on with my life.

Anyone have information or suggestions as to what I can do?

Thanks for any help

db006 · Mar 5, 2010

the ER cannot refuse you treatment. im also sure they will not diagnose you with cancer on the spot.

V-Man · Mar 5, 2010

A difficult situation.

I'm not crazy about Obama health care but I would like to see pre-existing conditions being eliminated.

Do you have a personal family doctor that you can talk to about this off the record to see how serious it is.

I know it can be an anxious time. You want to find out what it is and get it fixed. Any hospital will give you care and provide treatment and if you have no money they will put you on a payment plan. But if it is something serious is could run into the hundred of thousands of dollars and you will probably be paying the rest of your life.

It would almost be better not to have a job, you can get on public aid or on charity care that a lot of hospitals have for people who live below the national poverty level and get good care. But in a few weeks you will have insurance from your new job which is a blessing.

We can all give you our opinions but this has to be your decision.

I wish you all the very best during this difficult time.

maldorf · Mar 5, 2010

two things I will say

qbkilla said:
Hey guys I was wondering if you could give me some guidance. Here is my situation. I have some serious symptoms (lymph nodes, pain, itching etc) and from my research there is a very good probability i have lymphoma a form of cancer. These have not gone away in over a month and I think it is time to go to a doc.

However I starteda new job, and my insurance will not kick in for another month. I am very worried and the symptoms are getting worse, and I would rather not wait for my insurance to kick in. I would like to see a doc now.

I know if i get daignosed with lymphoma when my insurance kicks in treatment will not be covered, it will be a pre-existing condition. I am not really worried about future bills, just my health.

My fear is that I will go to the ER, and they will find lymphoma, and because I can not pay upfront, and because I do not have insurance, i will be SOL and I will not recieve treatment. Can this happen? Or will they just treat me (wiht no insurance) and set up a payment plan?

I am not familar with how this stuff works at all. I really want to get my symptoms and lymph node checked out but i dont want to get screwed over and get diagnosed and be denied treatment. I can wait a month for my insurance, but I would rather not. I want to find out whats wrong, get treatment, and move on with my life.

Anyone have information or suggestions as to what I can do?

Thanks for any help

I know that it is illegal to discriminate against somone for prexisting conditions if you have not had any lapse in coverage. So right now you have no health insurance, you were eligible for COBRA? If you did have a break in coverage then they can deny paying for anything, but that period I believe at max is 12 months. So after youve been with them for 12 months, they have to cover you. I think thats the way the law works now.

I think some health insurance doesnt even do that, and they dont even look at preexisting conditions. YOu need to get out your plan if you havent already and look it up,and make a call to the insurance company and ask them about preexisting conditons.

As far as you getting denied life saving medical care because you cannot pay, you can forget worrying about that. That is illegal and they have to treat you. THey will probably set you by reducing the amount you owe and entering you into a payment plan. I know of at least 3 people that happend to.

If I were you I would go in and get looked at right away. Even if you wait till the insurance kicks in and get diagnosed with whatever health problem, they are going to say its prexisting because you had a lapse in health insurance. the only way you would avoid that is if you wait to go in after youve been with them 12 months. Now Im not 100% sure that what I just said is true, but I do remember reading that as being a federal law. Check with the company over the phone and see what their policy is.

rippedout · Mar 5, 2010

Your right about the preexisting condition, you could get f'd there. I'd schedule an appointment with your doc for the day your coverage starts. But if you're really worried, just go to a doc and get it checked.

maldorf · Mar 5, 2010

Found this on the HIPPA LAW, can you go on COBRA?

What is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)?
HIPAA's is a federal law that:

Limits the ability of a new employer plan to exclude coverage for preexisting conditions;

Provides additional opportunities to enroll in a group health plan if you lose other coverage or experience certain life events;

Prohibits discrimination against employees and their dependent family members based on any health factors they may have, including prior medical conditions, previous claims experience, and genetic information; and

Guarantees that certain individuals will have access to, and can renew, individual health insurance policies.

HIPAA is complemented by state laws that, while similar to HIPAA, may offer more generous protections. You may want to contact your state insurance commissioner's office to ask about the law where you live. A good place to start is the Web site of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners at National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).

One of the most important protections under HIPAA is that it helps those with preexisting conditions get health coverage. In the past, some employers' group health plans limited, or even denied, coverage if a new employee had such a condition before enrolling in the plan. Under HIPAA, that is not allowed. If the plan generally provides coverage but denies benefits to you because you had a condition before your coverage began, then HIPAA applies.

Under HIPAA, a plan is allowed to look back only 6 months for a condition that was present before the start of coverage in a group health plan. Specifically, the law says that a preexisting condition exclusion can be imposed on a condition only if medical advice, diagnosis, care, or treatment was recommended or received during the 6 months prior to your enrollment date in the plan. As an example, you may have had arthritis for many years before you came to your current job. If you did not have medical advice, diagnosis, care, or treatment – recommended or received – in the 6 months before you enrolled in the plan, then the prior condition cannot be subject to a preexisting condition exclusion. If you did receive medical advice, diagnosis, care, or treatment within the past 6 months, then the plan may impose a preexisting condition exclusion for that condition (arthritis). In addition, HIPAA prohibits plans from applying a preexisting condition exclusion to pregnancy, genetic information, and certain children.

If you have a preexisting condition that can be excluded from your plan coverage, then there is a limit to the preexisting condition exclusion period that can be applied. HIPAA limits the preexisting condition exclusion period for most people to 12 months (18 months if you enroll late), although some plans may have a shorter time period or none at all. In addition, some people with a history of prior health coverage will be able to reduce the exclusion period even further using “creditable coverage.” Remember, a preexisting condition exclusion relates only to benefits for your (and your family’s) preexisting conditions. If you enroll, you will receive coverage for the plan’s other benefits during that time.

Although HIPAA adds protections and makes it easier to switch jobs without fear of losing health coverage for a preexisting condition, the law has limitations. For instance, HIPAA:

Does not require that employers offer health coverage;

Does not guarantee that any conditions you now have (or have had in the past) are covered by your new employer's health plan; and

Does not prohibit an employer from imposing a preexisting condition exclusion period if you have been treated for a condition during the past 6 months.

you need to contact your insurance carrier and ask what the policy is for you exactly.After reading through this, it looks like you may want to wait until insurance kicks in before you see the doctor. I know for me a prexisting condition was never a case because my carriers wont deny treatment if you had insurance and were being treated prior to going on their plan.

the only way I would get denied on the plan Im on now is if I had my heart attack during a period where I had no insurance. then they could hae turned me down for up to 12 months under the law. Luckily I was on my wife's COBRA plan when i had my heart attack. 120K for one hospital stay, woot! It was all payed for expect for $250!!!! My wife had just lost her job one month prior to my heart attack and we had opted not to take out COBRA because it was going to cost us $2000/month. So with my lousy luck I had my damn heart attack when we werent on insurance. Now the law says that you can go on Cobra even if you dont do it right away, so as soon as I had the heart attack we signed up right away and paid the $2k to get on the plan that month. Luckily the next month my wife had a job and was covered soon after that. WOUld you be eligible for COBRA from your old employer? If you are, go on it right away.

qbkilla · Mar 5, 2010

Thank you guys so much for the replies. Im going to read through them all again to digest the information. Right now im not really worried about paying bills for the rest of my life I just want to know what exactly is wrong and how bad it is and try and get it treated. Its good to know I can still get treatment, like schedule visits with an oncologist and get chemo if i do have what im scared it might be.

Would you guys reccomend to just go to the ER, or go to a place like patient first? My fear is that a doctor will look at my lymph nodes and its not an 'emergency' so they will not refer me to an oncologist where I can get a proper diagnosis. Im guessing since I do not have insurance I must have this referral?

Reading the cancer forums, and lymphoma forums, it seems alot of people who had this had the same symptoms as me and their doc dismissed it as no big deal. Only to later find out that they did have lymphoma.

That is one fear I have. I guess since I have no insurance I must got to a ER doctor, I can not go see an oncologist or someone who really knows about what I believe I have (have done alot of research on my symptoms over the past 5 weeks).

maldorf · Mar 5, 2010

qbkilla said:
Thank you guys so much for the replies. Im going to read through them all again to digest the information. Right now im not really worried about paying bills for the rest of my life I just want to know what exactly is wrong and how bad it is and try and get it treated. Its good to know I can still get treatment, like schedule visits with an oncologist and get chemo if i do have what im scared it might be.

Would you guys reccomend to just go to the ER, or go to a place like patient first? My fear is that a doctor will look at my lymph nodes and its not an 'emergency' so they will not refer me to an oncologist where I can get a proper diagnosis. Im guessing since I do not have insurance I must have this referral?

Reading the cancer forums, and lymphoma forums, it seems alot of people who had this had the same symptoms as me and their doc dismissed it as no big deal. Only to later find out that they did have lymphoma.

That is one fear I have. I guess since I have no insurance I must got to a ER doctor, I can not go see an oncologist or someone who really knows about what I believe I have (have done alot of research on my symptoms over the past 5 weeks).

So you cant go on COBRA now? You didnt have insurance at your last job?

If you are indeed uninsurable right now I think you are right in that youll have to go to the ER. Most offices I see say they want payment on the day or service or they wont see you. I think youll have to go through the proper channels in order to see anyone. im sure youll get referrals though evenetually.

Call your insurance company ASAP and find out about their rules on pre existing condtions.

qbkilla · Mar 5, 2010

hey bro, thanks for all your help. at my last job i was a teacher. i left that job and i do remember getting papers for cobra. however i did not really look at it or pay it. i knew i would find another job quick and i had no idea about how bad it was to have a lapse in insurance. so i did get the cobra papers but i did not do anything with them. im guessing i can no longer go on cobra? i quit that job in the end of october, so its been 5 months.

maldorf · Mar 5, 2010

qbkilla said:
hey bro, thanks for all your help. at my last job i was a teacher. i left that job and i do remember getting papers for cobra. however i did not really look at it or pay it. i knew i would find another job quick and i had no idea about how bad it was to have a lapse in insurance. so i did get the cobra papers but i did not do anything with them. im guessing i can no longer go on cobra? i quit that job in the end of october, so its been 5 months.

I was a teacher once too.

Anyhow, we were able to go on cobra after being off of insurance for about 1 month. I am not sure how long you can go out, but I think it might be 6 months. You need to look into this right away. I think there is a real good chance that you can go on COBRA now, believe it or not. Like I said, we were just like you and chose not to sign up for COBRA right away, but I ended up signing the paperwork about 1 month later. So i went a whole month without paying insurance. Its retro too, so that it will pay for things that happened before you were paying The only catch, you might have to pay for the entire last 5 months, I dont know. Get on the phone tomorrow and work on that cobra. It could be a life saver for you, no joke!

VNV · Mar 5, 2010

qbkilla said:
Hey guys I was wondering if you could give me some guidance. Here is my situation. I have some serious symptoms (lymph nodes, pain, itching etc) and from my research there is a very good probability i have lymphoma a form of cancer. These have not gone away in over a month and I think it is time to go to a doc.

Are you kidding me? You think you have cancer? How the hell would you know you--from reading Wikipedia and checking WebMD.com? Dude, act like a sane, rational person for a second (instead of a hypochondriac), scrape together a hundred bucks, and go see a regular physician. Better yet, if things are really that tight, find one where the cost of the visit is based on income. Start with a basic checkup and go from there.

scrapper13 · Mar 5, 2010

hey bro im sure you have been really down about this lately but try and keep a positive attitude. there are many things it could be and the only way you will be at peace is if you go to the doc and get it checked. a few hundred bucks out of pocket is a very small price to pay for peace of mind. chances are you will walk out of the doctors office with good news and you will feel so much better. chronic stress can be just as deadly as any cancer so no point suffering when you can get an answer. i wish you the best

Bio · Mar 5, 2010

Easy there QBK. Swollen lymph nodes can be a sign that your body is fighting a virus or infection and you won't necessarily have any symptoms other than some fatigue possibly. Take a deep breath and relax...Don't get ahead of yourself. Do you suffer from anxiety or panic attacks? See a doctor, they will run a blood panel and chances are you will just have a virus of some sort.

maldorf · Mar 5, 2010

Bio said:
Easy there QBK. Swollen lymph nodes can be a sign that your body is fighting a virus or infection and you won't necessarily have any symptoms other than some fatigue possibly. Take a deep breath and relax...Don't get ahead of yourself. Do you suffer from anxiety or panic attacks? See a doctor, they will run a blood panel and chances are you will just have a virus of some sort.

I have to agree. Dont get yourself all worked up about what might be nothing. THe symptoms you are having could be a whole lot of different problems. My advice is to get busy looking into that COBRA coverage and how your new insurance is going to handle things and then go see a doc ASAP so that you can get diagnosed by a professional.

CeilingStar · Mar 5, 2010

Has it changed in size since i talked to you last? and what are the other symptoms?

Like I told you already I had the samething. I found a lump in my neck, I had a sharp not really painful but more itching pain in my chest. Went online and got all nervous from reading cancer forums. Then finally decided to stop reading online and just wait. I had that for probably 2 months, during that time I also had both of my armpit nodes swell up and become painful. I don't know if it was just a coincidence that it all happened at once or if it was related. I may have just been sick at the same time as the lump in my neck. The wierd thing is I was on accutance and stopped it and 2 weeks later the lump went down in size, after another month now its gone. The chest pain just went away not sure when. I only had swollen nodes for 2 weeks.

I did the same as you and got all nervous looking online, and decided to wait, and the symptoms went away. Not sure if 1 month makes a big deal for you but I waited alittle more than 2 months and now its all gone.