Just found Out

Good Morning, Jack! I re-read what I wrote(above) and was relieved to see that I had said "IMHO" (in my humble opinion) since, indeed, it is only MY opinion. I HAVE to chose my own doctors. I have five physicians that I see regularly and only two of them are in the same PPO program. I do not need prior approval for any medical appointment or procedure, as long as it is prescribed by a physician.

Having been on a medical school faculty (although I am not an MD ) I am not comfortable unless I have checked out a potential doctor's education, residency, post-graduate training, and certification. Pretty picky! Have a friend who moved to a different part of the country and had to chose a new insurance plan. "Everyone" recommended Insurance XXXX since it was "so reasonable." She signed up and found herself in a PPO. She had an accident her first week in her new residence, fell, and broke her foot. A month later she had over $4000 worth of bills since the hospital and doctor that her family rushed her to was not in her plan. She later sent me a copy of the list of "approved in-plan" primary care docs and asked me to check them out and help her pick one. Of the 12 on the list, NOT ONE WAS A US-TRAINED MD! I do realize that this is an example of a pretty poor plan ....ie, "cheap," and there are many much better.

Choosing an insurance plan or supplement is a very personal decision. I guess I would change my advice to "be careful and research ALL the options" and then pick the one that most meets your needs! The friend I mentioned above is a very intelligent woman, yet she had no idea what a PPO (or even a Medicare Advantage) plan was. She just signed up for a "supplement" and assumed it would pay her bills.

I would hope that discussions such as ours would lead others to THINK about what they are buying in choosing insurance. Surely one size does not fit all!

Sara Anne

Have you received the pathology report? What is your exact diagnosis? That would help us give advice!

The first bit of advice is to take a deep breath and slow down a bit. You have a lot on your mind right now, and urgent as cancer can be you do have time to think about this logically and make some really good decisions. Your cancer has been there for a long time and a few more weeks will not change things!

If you are on Medicare and want the freedom to make your own decisions as to where to go for treatment, you need to find a traditional Medicare supplement with no limitations on your choice of physicians and hospitals. Of course, this will probably be the most expensive, but IMHO it is worth it. You do NOT want a PPO. Kaiser has a reputation for excellent care, BUT except in unusual circumstances it is within their own system and it is very difficult to go out of it.

Without knowing your exact diagnosis, it is difficult to make recommendations. Based on general reputation, among the very best places for bladder cancer treatment are Memorial Sloan Kettering in NYC, Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, MD Anderson in Houston, USC in Los Angeles ...just to list a few.

Best of luck to you

Sara Anne