Option for non-immigration on Insurance in the US

Hello all,

I have read this forums for a while. The situation is my mom was diagnostic with Ovarian Cancer around the end of June. I took her to the US for treatment.
Since she does not have insurance here, I have to tried to manage everything.
She has done a surgery immediately a week after arrival. They found this is stage 4. However, the doctors have able to contain it (they took some of her colon also).
After 1 month of recovery, she is in chemo. The chemo goes well and she does not have any side effects even her white blood cells are still near normal also (except hair loss) (Thank you for the Onc to use ton of drug to control all side effects - but the cost is extremely high - Medicine to control all side effects is near double the chemo medicine itself).

However, the cost is building up. it is kind of hard for me to keep up all payments. So, I try to look around to see how I could find a way to get support.

Do you have any suggestion for me to get some sort of insurance/financial support ? Her status is still visiting. I will do status change for her soon when I am done the US citizen test.

When I know about her cancer, I have made decision immediately to get her treatment in the US since she gave me my life and I don't regret it, but any help is really appreciate.

Thanks,
Bao

By Shamrock2009
Posted August 14, 2009 at 4:44 pm
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BAO,
Sorry to hear that your Mom has this difficult disease.
I don't have information regarding insurance for your Mom. U.S. citizens who seek care outside the US must sometimes pay cash upfront for care. My friend's daughter in law had neurosurgery in Canada and they had to pay a large down payment to the Canadian hospital and surgeon before her surgery. Eventually herUS Blue Cross/Blue Shield did reimburse for part of the bills after she returned to the US. Would this be possible for your mother's insurance in her home country?

By jeaniet
Posted August 14, 2009 at 7:14 pm
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Bao......there were several discussions posted this summer by a guy in your same situation. His user name was mathwiz. Look for him under Meet Others Like You, and read all his posts. He received quite a few suggestions.

By Patricia123
Posted August 14, 2009 at 9:49 pm
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A social worker at the hospital might be able to guide you. Where are you from? People all over get the same treatment we get so you might be able to get the chemo at home and not have to pay for it. It does cost an arm and leg.

By NJ1lady
Posted August 14, 2009 at 11:21 pm
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I'm sorry about your Mom's diagnosis of OVCA, why wasn't she treated in her own country?

Perhaps you will feel this is mean, but people with no insurance coming here for expensive treatment, and surgery is exactly why our medical care for American citizens is so expensive, and why we now have to look at the health care changes we're facing.

We all have to pay for the medical care of non citizens, who come to this country for the best medical care in the world.

I wish your mother good health.

By bao
Posted August 14, 2009 at 11:42 pm
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I paid all of the expenses for her already. Even with the hospital stay and all the surgery cost have been paid. Plus all the chemo cost up to now.
What I am looking is the option to reduce the payment and the way to buy insurance since I know this is a long way to go... reoccurent ....
I am not the kind of person to send my mom to ER and wish they do the surgery for her, then don't pay after that. I always do the best for my mom regardless of cost.
I have been working in this country for over 15 years and always paid a lot of tax. I have no idea how to deal with this situation since I always have full insurance since I step on US.

By jeaniet
Posted August 15, 2009 at 12:59 am
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I would think that getting her any kind of insurance is an impossibility. I understand that you have been insured all these years, and paid your taxes, but insurance companies are not going to insure someone who is not a legal resident. Your status has nothing to do with hers. Also, the whole issue of pre-existing conditions might prevent you from insuring her anyway.
It is an unfortunate reality that your only hope probably lies with talking to the health care providers about a payment plan.
I am just guessing here, but are you Vietnamese? If so, you might try finding some financial help in the Vietnamese community in the Bay Area. If you are Buddhist, maybe the temple can help. Maybe local Vietnamese businesses can help. Same ideas if you are another nationality.
Sorry to sound so uncaring, but I really think you will not be able to insure her, and will need to give up on that idea and figure out how to get help paying the medical bills.
Jeanie

By Emily1
Posted August 15, 2009 at 10:34 am
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You are in a tough situation. If you read the newspapers, you will see that many American citizens have gone bankrupt from high medical bills and had to sell their homes. And some of these people even have medical insurance, but not enough for serious health issues. Right now, it is the number one political issue here in this country. One option to try to get her drug bills reduced is to appeal directly to the drug company for that particular medicine. I have heard that they have programs to help out patients who are in financial distress.

I hope you are able to resolve this problem. I can only imagine how stressful it must be for you. Unfortunately, it is one of many sad stories that are out there.

By mmtraynor
Posted August 16, 2009 at 1:11 pm
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I was born and raised in Australia, and married an American 46 year ago, which I have had permanent residence status all this time and worked and paid taxes in the US. Over the years I went back to Australia every few years and on return trips, I was able to use their medical benefits, which are free.

They have now changed this and if you have been gone for five years or more, then you cannot get free medical any more. The only way you can get it back is to prove that you have returned permanently, and show proof that you have sold any property that you owned in the US.

When I returned there earlier this year, I had to get Travel Medical Insurance which would have covered me while there.

By FavoriteAunt
Posted August 17, 2009 at 8:31 am
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I'm sorry that our mother is ill and needs treatment, but given her status you are going to have a hard time. You are talking about very large amounts of money for cancer treatment and I can't imagine how she could get any insurance under the circumstances since she has no legal status here. I don't know what the criteria are for private insurance, but you could contact them.

Maybe the hospital social worker could contact the drug companies to see if they would work out a payment plan. Americans are all struggling to pay for their medical care - especially cancer. Someone has to pay for it and insurers are not in a generous mood. I wish you well.

By momanderson920
Posted August 17, 2009 at 9:42 pm
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Here is a link that has prescription companies that may help out. It is for Americans however but maybe the companies are willing to help out anyone.
http://cancer.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=cancer&cdn=healt h&tm=24&gps=442_472_1415_717&f=20&su=p284.9.336.ip_p736.8.336.ip_&tt=2&bt=1 &bts=0&zu=https%3A//www.pparx.org/Intro.php
I don't mean to sound insensitive but I am curious as to why your mother has not sought treatment in her native country? Is it not available? Or is it some other factor...ie. cost or lack of insurance? Or is it not very good treatment? I am interested in knowing what brings people from other countries here to the US, instead of seeking in their own countries. I do wish your mom the best and pray you can continue to help her to get the treatment she needs. I did hear somewhere about Astrazeneca company helping people with drugs around the world. I hope you find the help she needs.

By bao
Posted August 17, 2009 at 11:34 pm
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For surgery, the cost is low since she has insurance (like medicare for retirement in the US). However, she has to wait for months before the surgery get schedule since just few hospitals and so many people (you could count around over a million people per hospital).
Plus, they force you to stay in the hospital (of course for free with insurance) 2 months before and couple months after the surgery. The room is terrible. Around 6-8 people per room. If you are lucky, you get your own bed. If you ever leave the hospital in that period of time, you don't allow to come back to any hospitals. Not like in the US, doctor visit you in the hospital. In there, you hardly see any doctor to visit patient. You only see the nurse 1 a day max.
So, just stay at the hospital, you are sick more. Don't count about the heat (no AC) of 97-104 degree everyday with no fan (you could bring your own but need to put on your bed).
The required overstay cause the hospital is very crowded. It takes around 1 week for you to sit on the hospital floor before getting a bed. My mom has come to the hospital and wait since 8 AM to 6PM for 3 days before getting a bed (with the help of her friend who is the doctor within the hospital). Without the help, one week is not a new thing.
There are many people who came to hospital with small tumor. When their turn to get surgery, tumor already spread and they close them up and send home to wait for god to come.
Now, talk about cancer treatment. There is only 1 hospital for half of the country. Mean 40 million people share 1 cancer treatment hospital.
So, around 3 people share 1 SINGLE BED. In the room, all beds stay next to each other.
For chemo, you stay on the hallway with a chair or stand during the infusion. The cost is from 1 thousand to 3 thousand dollars each round of chemo. It is up to you to choose the medicine, NOT DOCTOR. Like if you have money, you go and shop for medicine and sit there for infusion. But only at the cancer center.
There is no other medicine to help for side effect. If you want, you must go to pharmacy to ask for those. It may or may help. All people we know get chemo can not eat or drink, non of them can stand more than 3 rounds. There is not talking about infection/sick due to low while blood cell.
We have some family members went through the chemo treament. She can not even be able standing up after 2 treatment since she can not eat or drink. Their family must pump food and stuff on her tomach and hope she could absord some before vomitting. This go on and she stop after 3 treatments and die around 6 months later.
My grandmom also die not because of cancer (since finally check show that she did not have cancer), but because those incorrect treatment cause her kidney falling a part.

That is why when you have cancer there, you already put one of your leg on the grave and wait for all the rest to pull other leg to the grave also.

The whole health care system, I have no idea why they just keep people in the hospital to make it crowded like that.

By GEPI
Posted August 18, 2009 at 11:00 am
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Hello,

I cannot really help you since I do not live in the USA. But please stay strong and help your mother. It is great that you have her with you. This is already a signiifficant help to her. She is with you. From the suggestions you have received I think appealling directly to drug companies is a good idea.
Best wishes
GEPI

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