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1. does medi-cal cover cost of ovarian cancer treatment completely or is there a lot of out-of-pocket/co-pay that needs to be paid?
2. has anyone got a de-bulking surgery done in the emergency room? i.e., you went to the ER complaining of stomach pain and they realized you have a big tumor and did a debulking surgery to get it out?
in my case, my crappy job has no benefits so i was put on medicaid...the california equivalent probably has similar requirements. however, i have had few out of pocket expenses, even compared to many with real insurance. i have been blessed. i cannot guarantee that your experience will be similar but they covered most everything.
as for the ER thing...no, they don't do that. they refer you for surgery at a slightly later date. I went in to the ER thinking i had a kidney stone and had surgery 2 weeks later at a different hospital. the ER trip was covered by Charity insurance due to again, my crappy job. again, i cannot say that your experience will be similar because california has slightly different rules but there ya go.
I have Blue Cross Blue Shield..It's covering it ALL!!!
I had debulking after four rounds of chemo.
Can't help you on that one!
Good Luck
Jan
Regarding emergency surgery question if a woman came into the ER with a perforated bowel or a ruptured appendix related to ovarian cancer then surgery would be scheduled emergently in the operating room
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Regarding medicaid: if approved for SSD you must wait 2 yrs for medicare enrollment but if income meets criteria and you are also eligible for SSI then you are immediately permitted to apply for your state Medicaid. This information was presented by a local SS office manger at our Wellness Community seminar.
I know women enrolled on Pennsylvania Medicaid and they have been covered for their ovarian cancer care. I would hope California does the same.
You can call the California Department of Health at the numbers on this site: http://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Pages/contacts.aspx
There can be a co-pay for Medi-cal called "Share of Cost"
Medi-Cal also has a HIPP program, where the state helps pay for private insurance premiums for those with a high cost medical condition, like cancer.
The California Department of Health will help you with all your Medi-Cal questions as will, most likely, the doctor/hospital financial services/billing office.
Get yourself to a gyn oncologist. If you need surgery for ovaca this is the person that should do it. They are THE specialists.
If you are located in the LA area, UCLA has an excellent group as does Cedars Sinai and City of Hope.
Do not shortchange yourself.
Do not wait.
Good luck and keep us posted.
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