Cancer Insurance Question

[VeroP]

I know there is a question about general insurance, but this is more specifically a cancer insurance question - I have health insurance through my husband's work.

When I was sixteen, my father died of cancer. Five of his other siblings also died of some form of cancer. There is also a history of skin cancer in my mother's family and she herself had a cancer removed from her nose last year.

At some point around the time my dad passed away, my mom purchased cancer insurance for my sister and I. At the time, she was paying $3 a quarter ($12 a year) on it. She paid that for years, but about five or six years ago, she turned the premiums over to us. The first year I paid the $12, since then, it has gone up.

The new premium notice is for $42 a quarter - $168 a year. The insurance would cover any cancer related medical expenses 100%.

However, now I am %100 raw and plan on staying that way. I've not been checking my Ph balance, but my guess is that it is good. From what I read, my body would probably not be a good host for cancer growth.

What would you do? Would you continue the coverage?

[Revvell]

How fear-filled are you about letting it go? Fear will create stuff in the body that nothing else will.

Here's something you may want to do. There's a thread here on all kinds of cancer resources.. what others have done who had cancer. You may wish to look at that.

What would you do IF you got it? For me, I would NOT do chemo and radiation so, "insurance" (what does it insure anyway?) would be of no assistance.

Remember this as well ~ Just because something "runs" in the family doesn't mean you have to run with it.

Revvell

[VeroP]

Thanks, Revvell:

That gives me some ways of thinking through this a little differently.

Fearwise, I don't think I'm that fearful of letting it go - more has to do with my mom's sacrifices to keep it for me for so long. She is on a fixed income, so the $12 a year was not easy.

My sister accidently forgot to pay the premium and all of the years of payments were lost as they would not renew the insurance when she realized her mistake. She is afraid to tell my mom who kept it up so lovingly for so many years.

Thank you again, I'll discuss these perspectives with my husband - who felt that I would be paying the premiums to help everyone else with cancer . . .

[Revvell]

I just had a meeting with my investment planner and he was telling me about various investments. First thing I would do is find out what, if anything, the insurance will really pay for; if you can cash it in, etc. My mother payed for insurance for a REALLY long time. I think I got $60 out of it after she died. I thought after 20-25 years of paying one should get a bit more than $60.

I think you might consider this... if you're young enough (whatever that means), get life insurance and in 10 years you'll actually have something. Now, it's got to be the right insurance as well. I'm thinking of investing a lump sum into it (rather than pay monthly) and just let it build. Maybe a lump sum annually... not sure yet. Looking at options. After it matures (time varies) you can "borrow" the money it's created and use it (sort of like equity in a home) for other investments, paying stuff off (if you have debt), down payment for property, etc. and if you've got children, after you die it'll go to them.

For me, if I do this, I'm going to insure Bo as he's younger than I am; the money will accrue faster, we'll have more in a shorter time. If he dies first, I get the $$$; if I do, he does.

Just some thoughts here.

[barose]

Revvell makes a good point asking what you will do "just in case". Though I would like to think I wouldn't go with chemo, etc I like to keep my options open because I have not been faced with that situation personally. Its pointless (the insurance) if you're not going to do it anyway and you know this for sure.

A lot of my decision has to do with how soon I'm diagnosed. Checkup? Regular paps if you're a woman? Exam or self-exam? If people here don't like to go to doctors (what I hear from a lot of people), how will else will you be diagnosed so that you can at least have a chance to treat yourself and/or seek alternative medicine? Getting diagnosed at stage one is very different from stage four for example.

[Revvell]

The reason I don't go is... as I've stated many times before... tests are 50% accurate which means they could be 50% wrong. I've been mis-diagnosed twice ~ once saying I WAS pregnant (I wasn't) and another time saying I had an std ~ I didn't. (And neither did he).

So no, I don't do drugs, I don't go to doctors, I don't go to weddings, funerals or showers either and, I have no sickness insurance. I'm 58 and haven't had a pap smear in 30 years and have never had a mammogram.

How will I know? I dunno! Not going to concern myself with it.



If people here don't like to go to doctors (what I hear from a lot of people), how will else will you be diagnosed so that you can at least have a chance to treat yourself and/or seek alternative medicine? Getting diagnosed at stage one is very different from stage four for example.

[barose]

The reason I don't go is... as I've stated many times before... tests are 50% accurate which means they could be 50% wrong. I've been mis-diagnosed twice ~ once saying I WAS pregnant (I wasn't) and another time saying I had an std ~ I didn't. (And neither did he).

So no, I don't do drugs, I don't go to doctors, I don't go to weddings, funerals or showers either and, I have no sickness insurance. I'm 58 and haven't had a pap smear in 30 years and have never had a mammogram.

How will I know? I dunno! Not going to concern myself with it.

Well good for you.

[Revvell]

Well good for you.

Nod,nod,nod :D

[sbaker]

i'd keep it! i think it is wise to look into WHAT exactly it will do for you, but it's really NOT that expensive for the peace of mind. I don't take meds, i've only ever gone to the DR. for paps and now because i'm pregnant, but honestly..i'd still be scared of the what ifs. My dad had MS and without insurance things would have been a lot worse. I find Doctors are mainly just there to prescribe pills, but there are some things they may still be able to tell me about my health and body that i can't figure out for myself... like barose said, i'd like to know so i can fix it! As much as i don't have faith in much of their practice, i still can't be as extreme as not going to see them when something is or may be very wrong.

[GlimR]

That's a tough call....I would do as Revvell says and get more info...as for the life insurance you want a whole life policy and not term insurance so you will have something you can draw on eventually. My husband and I are very different as far as our lifestyle, way of eating, etc...he eats the SAD, I eat mostly raw. Just over 5 years ago he was diagnosed w/ melanoma... it had progressed beyond the lymph nodes. He had sugery and was on Inteferon for a year. The meds alone could have cost $1400/month without insurance.

If it was me, I would have chose a different course of treatment but he did not have it in him to persue a more natural cure. Today he is clean, no sign of a cancer that has a 60-80% recurrance rate within 5 years. If we didn't have the insurance to allow the treatment he chose he would be dead, no question.

You are eating a clean diet now anyway and doing all you can to heal your body...that makes a huge difference. I suspect if you had to make even more severe changes to fight an illness you would be up to it.

Wishing you the best.