@suzyQ3 wrote:
@Nonametoday wrote:
@Mom2Dogs
Who diagnosed her cancer? Where did she get a prescription for a lift chair? The people who diagnosed her cancer should have a social worker on staff who takes care of these things. One need a prescription for a lift chair if it is the kind doctors recommend for end-stage cancer patients.
what kind of treatment does she need? Are you talking about chemotherapy or pain drugs or just what? These are issues that should be addressed by the doctor who made the diagnosis or the oncologist to whom she was sent.
There are some treatments and I know from my own medical care, that no insurance will pay for. I had to pay for my chemotherapy when I was nonambulatory with multiple sclerosis because the treatment was not approved by FDA at that time and it was not approved by my insurance company later. We sold our house in order to pay for it.
I had a lawyer friend with stage IV lung cancer (not from smoking but we won't address the reason she had it) and her insurance company only paid for some of her care. She realized it was a moot point to pursue litigation and she died without treatment. We don't live in a perfect world. In socialist countries, there is very little care for cancer at certain ages and stages.
Right now I cannot get treatment from an immunologist for immunoglobulins that I need because no immunologist will see me with my insurance and my hematologist and endocrinologist cannot get my insurance company to pay for the treatment, so I don't get it. There are, sometimes, reasons that insurance companies do not pay for some treatment. I don't know this person's whole situation as I am not her doctor or her social worker, but social worker with her doctor is where she should start.
Many countries have versions of universal healthcare. I am not aware that cancer treatment is any more difficult to get than it is here where are subject to the whims of private insurance companies.
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@suzyQ3, I know in the UK it isn't. I have posted this multiple times routinely over the years when this comes up. I have a dear friend that was diagnosed with breast cancer here in the states. She was employed and had insurance. But her health insurance was not going to cover everything. It did cover her surgery, but the coverage for her follow up radiation and projected medical regimen was very poor. In the meantime she was engaged to a British guy. She went ahead and moved to England after her surgery. I was very concerned about her moving during such a delicate time in her breast cancer experience since she was moving before her radiation was to start. She got married shortly after moving there. Oh my word, the care she received there was excellent!
Radiation: check
Tamoxifen: check (full course)
Annual breast ultrasounds: check (US insurance refused to cover breast ultrasounds even though her tumor had been missed by 2 mammograms but identified by ultrasound)
She was sent to a specialist that prescribed a mixture (they use herbalists over there) as a sleep aid
There were many other things they provided that would have never been covered here with her insurance. This was years ago and she is cancer free and has had thorough screenings and appointments to follow her post breast cancer all during that time.
She just recently had a back injury. Along with covering multiple doc visits, x-rays, etc. she ultimately had to have surgery. She owed nothing, it was totally covered. Postoperatively she was sent for physical therapy and once she finished physical therapy, they referred her to a special yoga class. All postoperative visits, treatments and medications totally covered. She has now finished all the protocols and is doing very well and not experiencing any further problems with her back. Fingers crossed that continues.
We had a group of nursing students that did an international study over the summer in Scotland. When they came back they could not quit talking about the different things that are covered under Scotland's universal care. Any prescription ordered by a recognized health care provider in Scotland is covered by the NHS. It was quite an eye opener for those students to see how another country provided health care.
Every single semester I had at least one student, if not more from Canada in my class. It never failed that they would end up trying to clear up major misunderstandings the other students had about the universal insurance program in Canada.
No one system is perfect. Many expats in other countries tell horror stories about the health care system here. Heck, even US citizens here have multiple complaints about our health care system. There happens to be no shortage of those stories.
* Freedom has a taste the protected will never know *
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