So you find out that you are BRCA positive or you just heard those words…you have breast cancer or ovarian cancer. You know that the medical bills will be substantial & you are worried about your coverage & out of pocket expense. What do you do? Do you want a second opinion? Will the insurance company pay? Do you even have medical insurance?

Call your insurance company & speak to a supervisor who will explain EVERYTHING to you. Take names & phone #’s & document the dates & times that you spoke with them. I personally had major problems with my insurance company. They told me one thing & then when it came time to pay they told me another story. I was fortunate that the unfortunate representative made the mistake of putting all the information in an email to me when I asked for clarification! Enlist your doctor’s office for help. I asked for the codes & cost for the procedures that I would need. I then asked my insurance company to explain how much of that they would pay & I did the math. YOU MUST GET THIS IN WRITING!  You can also ask your doctor’s office if they will help you with the out of pocket cost. Some will, some won’t!

 Don’t take no for an answer! Your medical bills will be substantial—you need to know the out of pocket costs! I also had to enlist the help of the policy holder’s “human resources department.”

ins.state.ny.us