What is the BEST INSURANCE to buy ?

Valery13

Hello dear All,

What is the best insurance for breast cancer patient ?

Castigame

Val, 

If you are recently diagnosed, chances are you will be in maintenance mode for about 5 yrs. Maintenance mode means a few drs visits along w scans or tests here and there. This means you will be incurring a few thousand dollars min of medical expense. 

If you are not but on medications such as hormone blockers especially name brand, your potential cost can be as much as $6000 per yr.

With those two in mind, I would look for the following

1. Deductible - smaller the better of course. it looks like average market amount is about $5000 per year. again the sad reality is BC sisters will likely incur  a few thousand dollars of medical expenses every year. so if you see two diff plan with diff premium and diff ded, do math to find out premium differential is offset by lower deductible. 

2. co insurance percentage - average is 80%.   higher % could have higher premium  do the math to find out higher premium is worth it

3. prescription counts toward deductible or not - average is medicine  purchases count toward deductible.  Try to avoid those does not count prescription cost. again if you are hormone positive  this is really important because even generic hormone blockers cost about $100 per month. 

4. out of pocket max? -  like the name implies max amount I have to pay in addition to yearly deductible. mine has out of pocket max. try to avoid ones without out of pocket max. I met out of pocket max this year so all I have to come up with is the deductible as long as I stay with current insurance company

I will be very happy to read any health insurance documents. please PM me if needed. 

mimi

Kicks

Are you asking about what might be the best "insurance" to have before 'you' develope BC (IF 'you' ever do) or what to get AFTER you have a DX but have no insurance then? Big differences! Also , as this Site is seen the world over (though most of us are from a few countries), there is no one answer for the entire world.

Valery13

Thank you for correction,
I do ask what to get AFTER being diagnosed.
Location USA

Thanks

Valery13

Thank you Rebamacfan123 for the details !