CHE-MO-MONEY

GREAT NEWS! But first, let me build the story...as I like to do :)

Yesterday morning was Chemo III. I got ready and my friends, Priscilla and Jennie, and my mom showed up to my house. While they waited downstairs I called my doctor's office. The Office Manager had tried to get a hold of me the day before at 3:30pm. I had gotten out of a client meeting at 4:30 and just missed them - their offices were closed.

So I called yesterday morning to see what the message was about. The financial assistance lady relayed a message from the Office Manager who had Friday off. The financial assitance lady gave me the message. I needed to pay them $5,000 to continue my treatment. I was stunned - my appointment was in 30 minutes! I knew there was a question about whether or not my insurance would or would not cover the $4,200 Neulasta shot I got on February 1st, but this was just 11 days after that shot was administered. Doesn't it usually take longer than 11 days for a claim to be reviewed, let alone denied?

So, I grabbed my checkbook, prepared to drain my savings to pay so I could get the treatment I was scheduled to recieve in half an hour. I went downstairs and explained, not so calmly, the situation to my mom and friends. I was livid. I wanted right then and there to buy that plane ticket to Brazil, spend my savings having fun and die on the beach. My mom didn't think that was the right decison.

We didn't know what else to do, so we got in the car and headed toward the doctor's office. On the way there I started calling my insurance company to try to find out if they would or would not cover that shot, so I could tell my doctor's office once and for all what they could or could not expect from them, and from me. As the Aetna rep answered the phone, I got a call from the Office Manager at my doctor's office. I hadn't yet spoken with this lady - the financial assistance lady had given her my number to call me direct. Remember, this was the lady who called me on Thursday, with an hour left in their office hours presumably to give me a whole hour to amass $5,000 to fork over the next morning.

She talked a lot trying to explain why they needed this money immediately. I heard such reasonings as "because other people haven't been able to pay, we need to crack down and can't move forward with your treatments; I need to make sure our costs are covered." The best thing I heard was this gem: "My job is to protect the interests of the office." I felt like telling her that LIVE people can pay you more than DEAD people can, so maybe you should be at least a little concerned about whether people are able to get their scheduled treatments or not. She also gave me useless advice, to go to the Department of Economic Security for assistance. "How will that be of any use to me this morning? My appointment is in 15 minutes?" She answered "Well, Trina, that's where you have choices. You will need to reschedule for some other time. We can't treat you until we are paid." "Can't or won't?!" I asked. "Can't" she replied.

So, with my treatment held hostage, I slid my credit card out of my wallet and walked into the office, incredibly upset. I signed in and handed my credit card to the scheduling lady, Raquel. "$25, right?" she asked, unaware of the situation. "Nope. $5,000." "Really?!" she asked, shocked. "Yep. You guys won't give me my treatment today until I pay you $5,000." I asked her to provide me an itemized bill showing me exactly what this $5,000 would pay for because as of yet I had not recieved one bill from their offices for anything. She said she would get me some paperwork.

While we waited for the paperwork, my mom called my uncle and my dad trying to see if they could help. If this was going to be a regular occurance ($5,000 demanded before each visit) I was going to need some help, and fast. While mom made her calls, the financial assitance lady called me in to go over the paperwork. I owed them about $460 for my initial consultation and my first chemo. There were no other bills outstanding. This $5,000 payment was essentially to ease their nerves since they hadn't yet figured out if my insurance would cover my $4,200 shot.

I was assured that if I overpaid that they would reimburse me. Plus interest? Probably not.

Anyway, with the $5,000 ransom in hand I was able to get my blood drawn and to meet with my doctor. My doctor was upset about the insurance situation. She told me that if I was undocumented and without insurance I would be in much better shape. "Too bad I don't have a drug habit and ten kids," I said. She then said "Some oncologist's offices would refuse to see you. We're not like that." We informed her that, yes, they were. That her own Office Manager told me I had to pay up or reschedule. My doctor was upset. She said on Monday, the doctor's were to have a meeting and that, if I didn't mind, she'd like to discuss my case/situation with the rest of the team. I didn't mind at all. I even said if she wanted to write my costs off as charity that that might be a good solution.

We also discussed going every 3 weeks between chemo treatments instead of 2 weeks (which is the standard of care for Hodgkins). In my estimation, this would give me enough time to recoup my white blood cells without having to get the costly Neulasta shot. She did not feel comfortable entertaining this idea. "This disease is so treatable, if we follow the standard of care, and that's chemo every 2 weeks, not 3." She then revealed that my plateletes were low, on the verge of her having to refuse treatment, but she wasn't going to. She said perhaps my plateletes being low would force me to get treatment every 3 weeks regardless. She would still rather not push treatment to 3 weeks, but at least this was a valid reason to do so.

I went ahead and got my chemo. I had good discussions with the ladies in my room - the majority had breast cancer and all of them had lost their hair. Some of the ladies I hadn't met thought I was a newbie becuase I still have my hair. All of them said they had lost their hair 14 days into treatment. So I have that to be thankful for...I am hanging on to my hair longer than most.

But I have more than that to be thankful for. First, on my way out, as I made my appointment for the next treatment, Raquel gave me a note. The note said that she respected my integrity. She had overheard my conversation with the financial assitance lady. I had told her "There has to be a different way to do this. I shouldn't have to chose between lying about how much I make and living." Raquel's note quoted two verses of scripture and finished with an encouragement not to let anybody compromise my integrity. Even if no bill ever gets paid, getting that note, knowing that someone recognizes the integrity God has given me and that I brought him glory is enough!

Another thing to be thankful for...and this is HUGE! and such an answered prayer...a prayer I prayed just this morning - I checked my Claims and Explanation of Benefits online and found that the insurance company had issued an EOB regarding the Neulasta shot. They issued it on 2/9 and neither I or my doctor's office had recieved it by Friday. The Neulasta shot was COVERED! My responsibility is just my $25 copay!

I also completed my Arizona and Federal taxes and will be getting about $1000 back! While I was online finishing up my taxes, I went back to the Aetna website to print out the Explanation of Benefits showing the coverage of the Neulasta shot and discovered a revised Explanation of Benefits for the ultrasound on my heart that I had to get done before I was cleared to get my chemo. I was sent a bill from the hospital for $974. I questioned the bill, had it resubmitted and as it turns out, my responsibility is just a $25 copay!

So today, in a span of 12 hours, I saw medical bills of $5174 go away :) I am not sure if future shots will be covered, but I am happy to not have to pay $5174! Thank you GOD...

I know that lying about what I make or "working the system" to get ahead denies God's chance to show me he can be trusted. I know he rewards obedience and he is showing me day by day that he can be trusted even with money matters. And I know he's just getting started.

Love to all my friends and family. Thanks, as always, for your prayers!

Trina

Thank you, Father, for being beside me today and helping me. I pray you show me more and more of what you can and will do for me. I am stubborn and skeptical, you know this. I am sorry it takes me so many lessons before I finally accept that you will help me. Help me trust you even more.