Radiation costs??

[davidn]

I was wondering if anyone knew the cost for radiation treatments for tc. I just got on my wifes insurance plan. It's costing me 300 a month, but it must be cheaper than paying my radiation out of pocket, right?? I looked on tcrc site and they list everything except radiation, unless I missed it.
Thanks,
Dave

[LoneNutTheorist]

I'm not sure how much more it would cost out of pocket -- but it would be many, many times more expensive to go out of pocket.

Besides, now that you have been diagnosed with cancer, as have I, you will not want to let your coverage lapse. If you drop your coverage you may find it difficult if not impossible to get health coverage again due to a pre-existing condition -- at least for the foreseeable future.

[huckchef]

i was just looking over all my insurance and medical statements for taxes last week and radiation treatments alone were around $50,000. i have bcbs and i paid out of pocket about $8,000 last year for my whole ordeal. That included two surgeries, radiation, scans,"the works"! all in all it was total around $150,000 that was billed to my insurance.

[merc]

i was just looking over all my insurance and medical statements for taxes last week and radiation treatments alone were around $50,000. i have bcbs and i paid out of pocket about $8,000 last year for my whole ordeal. That included two surgeries, radiation, scans,"the works"! all in all it was total around $150,000 that was billed to my insurance.

Guys, I live in Australia. Hospitals here are free. There are private hospitals, but unless you want to buy a *share* of the hospital, you're never gonna fork out $150,000.
$150,000 is an _insane_ amount of money. It's not the kind of money you can "make" if you need to.

What would a person with no insurance do?

I find it hard to accept - or even believe. It's very upsetting.

[jdbob]

What would a person with no insurance do?

I have limited self-insurance through my company so I ended up going to Germany or orchiectomy and RPLND. Much less expensive than the United Corporations of America.

[matthias]

$150k sounds high; maybe that included the IVF?

In my case treatment costs were approx. (from the top of my head): I/O $4k; 1st year surveillance (6 CT, 12 CXR, 12 lab work, 12 onco visits) $36k. All costs after provider write-off due to PPO. I ended up paying $1,300 out-of-pocket (deductible + copay).

P.S.: Of course, family PPO runs $10k/year of which my employer shoulders 80%.

[matthias]

What would a person with no insurance do?

Quite possibly they die much earlier than someone who can afford insurance and has money to spend on medical services. It's the American way, you know.

[merc]

Quite possibly they die much earlier than someone who can afford insurance and has money to spend on medical services. It's the American way, you know.

*** YUCK ****

[matthias]

Not fair!

We are spending $80B per year defending democracy in Iraq. Surely you understand. There is no testicle worth $80B!

*** YUCK ****