New job & new insurance

[Martin]

Hi All,

I am in talks with another company about a job. It's not all said & done yet, but I wanted to ask some questions, here, to make sure I know what I am getting myself into.
This job would get me from High-Tech medical land, Massachusetts, to .... Wichita, Kansas!

There are no 'specialists' mentioned on the TCRC page for Wichita (frankly, I would have been shocked to find one there). Since I am 1 year (to the day!) cancer free I really only need a doctor and oncologist who will stick to the surveillance protocol for post-chemo, post-RPLND patients. If anyone has suggestions on doctors, I'd be happy to hear about it. Recurrences are not acceptable regardless of where I live.

I guess the more important part is about the insurance. I am not sure about their carrier - want to say Blue Cross/Blue Shield. I remember a thread about what to watch out for when switching insurance companies with a pre-existing condition. Unfortunately, I can't find that thread.
Could someone please give me some pointers in this regard? Are there any questions I should ask ahead of time, while in negotiations but without bringing up my cancer history?

Thanks aleady ahead of time.

Martin

[JAYHAWK]

I grew up in Wichita; while I cannot give you a referral to a specific doctor you might check with the Wesley Hospital system - it is affliated with the University of Kansas Medical School.

[Mom]

Martin, do you have health insurance now? Dianne

[Larry B.]

Link

Martin try this one http://www.tc-cancer.com/forum/showt...alth+insurance

[Martin]

Appreciate the replies and pointers.

Larry B. - where'd you hide that thread?! That is exactly the one I had been looking for. Must've been blind ...

I do currently have health insurance (Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare). No complaints with them. To tell you the truth, I would have never spent a second thought about switching jobs and the effects it would have on my coverage and ongoing surveillance, if I hadn't read the above mentioned thread.

I will have to do some reading up on COBRA, HIPAA and so on - there may be more questions coming up, but for now: Thanks everyone!

- Martin

[Jens]

I like this part so much:

Since I am 1 year (to the day!) cancer free...

Congratulations and best wishes
Jens

[Don]

I have a freind that lives in Kansas and had a battle with Melenoma.. He also has 2 members of his family with cancer (Both with breast cancer)... He said to try contacting these two treatment centers in Kansas.

1) www.cancercenterofkansas.com (has several locations throughout kansas)

2) www.kumc.edu ( University of Kansas school of Medicine)

Hope this info helps and good luck with the new job should you accept it!

P.S. Hope you buy property with a storm bunker

[cotoram]

Additional tips

Hi,

I am the group health insurance guy here.... I am a health insurance consultant for companies.

A couple of other things to keep in mind besides, HIPAA, COBRA, etc. is that you may have access to other Drs/experts outside of Kansas depending on the plan and carrier you select. If local providers/experts are a concern, try to get on a PPO plan. If you are on with Blue Cross or United, or Aetna or CIGNA, they have a national network you can access and some may include the national experts listed on this site. However, in Southern California I noticed that the experts listed here were non network providers. This does not mean I cannot access them, it only means it will be more expensive.

I am going to be moving to fairly small town in a couple of months, but will be about a three hour drive from a good medical teaching university. As long as you can get to experts, that is the important thing. They don't have to be in your back yard.

[fiance]

Hi All,

I am in talks with another company about a job. It's not all said & done yet, but I wanted to ask some questions, here, to make sure I know what I am getting myself into.
This job would get me from High-Tech medical land, Massachusetts, to .... Wichita, Kansas!

There are no 'specialists' mentioned on the TCRC page for Wichita (frankly, I would have been shocked to find one there). Since I am 1 year (to the day!) cancer free I really only need a doctor and oncologist who will stick to the surveillance protocol for post-chemo, post-RPLND patients. If anyone has suggestions on doctors, I'd be happy to hear about it. Recurrences are not acceptable regardless of where I live.

I guess the more important part is about the insurance. I am not sure about their carrier - want to say Blue Cross/Blue Shield. I remember a thread about what to watch out for when switching insurance companies with a pre-existing condition. Unfortunately, I can't find that thread.
Could someone please give me some pointers in this regard? Are there any questions I should ask ahead of time, while in negotiations but without bringing up my cancer history?

Thanks aleady ahead of time.

Martin

try checking out http://www.oneshopinsurance.com they're like brokers here, they'll find you a reliable and affordable insurance that will best fit your need. they have a couple of companies here so you can check out on their premiums. hope this helps.

fiance