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If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation.
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Financial Assistance: Health Insurance
Simply put, having and maintaining healthcare coverage following a mesothelioma cancer is a requirement for any family who is not financially prepared to handle the onslaught of tests and treatments that will follow. With medical costs that can hit nearly a quarter million dollars if paid out-of-pocket, patients are best served finding some type of health insurance coverage that is either paid through an employer or state/national coverage.
Because a number of adults who are diagnosed with mesothelioma are over the age of 65, one way that a patient can protect themselves from enduring the high costs of treatments is to enroll in Medicare, which is administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. In general, one is eligible for the insurance program once they or their spouse has worked in Medicare-covered employment for at least 10 years, a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, and at least 65-years-old.
Those with certain disabilities or are in the end stages of Renal disease may also be able to qualify for Medicare before the age of 65.
Private health insurance providers are made available through employers in most cases. However, even when one is fully covered by a plan provided through an employer, individuals can find themselves in trouble following a mesothelioma diagnosis in some cases.
Until certain laws associated with the health care reform bill go into effect in 2014, an unfortunate reality that will likely continue to haunt those suffering from malignant mesothelioma is the prospect that private insurance companies may deny claims and attempt to force the patient to pay for care on their own. The reason used in some denials of patients by healthcare companies has been that the client is not suffering from mesothelioma, but rather another pre-existing condition that can remove their requirement to provide coverage. One aspect of the healthcare reform bill removes the ability of providers to deny claims based on pre-existing conditions.
In the event of a denial, patients can appeal through the insurance company and take on a case manager (who is oftentimes a medical professional such a nurse) to act as a liaison. Additionally, patients can contact their home state’s Insurance Commissioner to urge that an investigation be initiated.
Regardless of whatever health insurance coverage one is able to get, either prior to or following a mesothelioma diagnosis, there will be a great number of costs that mesothelioma cancer patients will have to handle, likely draining them financially to some extent. However, consulting a mesothelioma attorney may be useful in helping to link a diagnosis with a former employer that exposed its workers to asbestos, the results of which could lead to a mesothelioma settlement for the patient and their family.
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