Traumatically, Todd heard the worst news when he called his employer to find out his employer had allowed his insurance to be cancelled. Todd had been paying his insurance premiums out of his private short-term disability income since he left work to be placed on disability. We thought everything was fine and had just praised his employer for such great insurance coverage to our friends and Todd's co-worker during a lunch date. Apparently, after twelve weeks of not actively working, he needed to be placed on COBRA insurance. We later learned that there had been a meeting between the insurance company and Todd's boss where this change was discussed, but NO ONE NOTIFIED US! I believe the law or rule states that we are supposed to receive a 2 week notice to sign-up for COBRA so we can pay the insurance premiums at the COBRA rate. The local insurance agent told us that Todd's employer handles this human resource responsibility, but for some unknown reason they didn't do it. We received no notice, no phone call, no letter, nothing! No one can tell us why were weren't notified in advance so that we could make the payments and fill out the paperwork to continue our coverage seamlessly.
Todd called his employer and tried to get this straightened out. We were distraught. How could they do something like this to an employee of over 20 years? How could they do it knowing Todd is facing a major life and death medical procedure in less than three weeks that is likely to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars? Our family is already under tremendous stress, without learning we lost our health insurance at the most crucial time in our life!
Not only did Todd NOT receive his last two days of Vidaza treatment, but our oldest daughter had two doctors appointments scheduled these same days before she left for college on Wednesday, August 20. Todd's brother was scheduled to go up to Cleveland to have all of his pre-transplant donor health tests done on Thursday, August 21, this same week. Our daughter couldn't get any of her prescriptions before she left (and still hasn't got them) for college. Nothing could be approved.
We had to scramble on Monday to write a letter, fill out a new application for COBRA insurance and mail checks for July and September insurance premiums to Colorado by priority mail so we could get it re-instated. They wouldn't reinstate it until they received the checks! I have to thank the insurance agent for working so hard to get us reinstated as quickly as possible. She really cared and tried hard to fix the situation. On Wednesday, while driving to move-in our daughter into our dorm, the agent emailed us a new Anthem application that had to be completed and re-sent the same day, so they could temporarily approve Todd's brother's appointment at The Cleveland Clinic for Thursday. So, half way through my daughter's move-in, we had to stop, go to the University library where we could open my email, download and print the application, fill it out, and then find someone to help us scan the signed application and email it back to the agent so she could forward it to Anthem. This was extremely stressful.
We got the temporary approval to get Todd's brother's appointments handled by the time they got to Cleveland on Thursday afternoon. We are still having to deal with re-submitting any claims that were originally turned down between August 1 and August 18. At least they are able to back-date the policy to cover us beginning August 1.
All I could think about all week, was that we would have to reschedule the transplant. Not only because of the lack of coverage, but because all the pre-transplant appointments wouldn't be done in time or within the allotted time leading up to the transplant. The transplant is a process that takes multiple steps and perfect timing to achieve. It is like a domino trick: all the dominoes have to be lined up just right for everything to fall correctly. For example, Todd has two more appointments before his admission date on September 7, 2014 to prepare for the transplant. These appointments have to be done in a timely manner, just like all of the staging tests had to be done within a 30 day window of the transplant.
This is obviously something that no one at his place of employment understood or cared about. His boss called to try to apologize or offer money saying someone dropped the ball. While I tried to respond graciously, I wondered if he understood the emotional pain this caused. Could anything he had to say relieve the tremendous amount of stress, anger, and anxiety that this "lapse" created for us? A postponed transplant date would have so many adverse consequences: Todd would have to repeat all his testing, maybe get another round of out-patient chemo, his brother would have to postpone testing, and more importantly loss of time with our kids. We knew it was already going to be a stretch to get home to be with our family before Christmas after the transplant (100 days), but when I thought we would have to postpone the transplant date, which would mean no Christmas as home, I was ready to cry.
I'm very thankful that we could get the insurance reinstated within the 30-day grace period, but I can't help wonder what would have happened if we didn't find out until after that time. It will take another week and some more phone calls, but hopefully we can get all the claims processed. I pray that we can get past our anger and give it over to God. I pray we can overcome evil with good.
“Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
-Romans 12:19-21
Todd called his employer and tried to get this straightened out. We were distraught. How could they do something like this to an employee of over 20 years? How could they do it knowing Todd is facing a major life and death medical procedure in less than three weeks that is likely to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars? Our family is already under tremendous stress, without learning we lost our health insurance at the most crucial time in our life!
Not only did Todd NOT receive his last two days of Vidaza treatment, but our oldest daughter had two doctors appointments scheduled these same days before she left for college on Wednesday, August 20. Todd's brother was scheduled to go up to Cleveland to have all of his pre-transplant donor health tests done on Thursday, August 21, this same week. Our daughter couldn't get any of her prescriptions before she left (and still hasn't got them) for college. Nothing could be approved.
We had to scramble on Monday to write a letter, fill out a new application for COBRA insurance and mail checks for July and September insurance premiums to Colorado by priority mail so we could get it re-instated. They wouldn't reinstate it until they received the checks! I have to thank the insurance agent for working so hard to get us reinstated as quickly as possible. She really cared and tried hard to fix the situation. On Wednesday, while driving to move-in our daughter into our dorm, the agent emailed us a new Anthem application that had to be completed and re-sent the same day, so they could temporarily approve Todd's brother's appointment at The Cleveland Clinic for Thursday. So, half way through my daughter's move-in, we had to stop, go to the University library where we could open my email, download and print the application, fill it out, and then find someone to help us scan the signed application and email it back to the agent so she could forward it to Anthem. This was extremely stressful.
We got the temporary approval to get Todd's brother's appointments handled by the time they got to Cleveland on Thursday afternoon. We are still having to deal with re-submitting any claims that were originally turned down between August 1 and August 18. At least they are able to back-date the policy to cover us beginning August 1.
All I could think about all week, was that we would have to reschedule the transplant. Not only because of the lack of coverage, but because all the pre-transplant appointments wouldn't be done in time or within the allotted time leading up to the transplant. The transplant is a process that takes multiple steps and perfect timing to achieve. It is like a domino trick: all the dominoes have to be lined up just right for everything to fall correctly. For example, Todd has two more appointments before his admission date on September 7, 2014 to prepare for the transplant. These appointments have to be done in a timely manner, just like all of the staging tests had to be done within a 30 day window of the transplant.
This is obviously something that no one at his place of employment understood or cared about. His boss called to try to apologize or offer money saying someone dropped the ball. While I tried to respond graciously, I wondered if he understood the emotional pain this caused. Could anything he had to say relieve the tremendous amount of stress, anger, and anxiety that this "lapse" created for us? A postponed transplant date would have so many adverse consequences: Todd would have to repeat all his testing, maybe get another round of out-patient chemo, his brother would have to postpone testing, and more importantly loss of time with our kids. We knew it was already going to be a stretch to get home to be with our family before Christmas after the transplant (100 days), but when I thought we would have to postpone the transplant date, which would mean no Christmas as home, I was ready to cry.
I'm very thankful that we could get the insurance reinstated within the 30-day grace period, but I can't help wonder what would have happened if we didn't find out until after that time. It will take another week and some more phone calls, but hopefully we can get all the claims processed. I pray that we can get past our anger and give it over to God. I pray we can overcome evil with good.
“Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
-Romans 12:19-21
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