[AshleyNicole]

#1059762

Hello all,

I’m new here! I was diagnosed with Grave’s in Sept of 2005 at 19 years old while I was in college. After 8 months of taking 16 pills a day to deal with the symptoms, I had RAI in May of 2006. 2 weeks after my RAI, I was so hypo that I couldn’t work my part time job, I could barely stand. I cried every day and that’s when my battle with this really started.

7 years later, I’m still not stable. At one point, I had 2 endocrinologists, 1 family doctor, and 1 nurse practitioner fighting on how to treat me. I ended up dropped both endos (one refused to listen to a single word I said, and the other was adamant that my family doctor could treat me) and my family doctor, who originally diagnosed me, has been treating me ever since.

Now my problem is, I’m 27 years old, working 3 jobs, and have no insurance. My family doctor is 2 hours away and I’m forced to drive down there every 2 months. I am doing it simply for the fact that he works with me because I don’t have insurance. He only charges me a check-up rate for the office visit and I’m able to pre-pay for my labs through the hospital that he is affiliated with.

I really need to see an endocrinologist. And I cant keep driving 4 hours round trip to see my doctor every 2 months. Does anyone know how to go about finding if I can be treated anywhere without insurance?

I’ve been told that if I want to see an endo without insurance, it would cost me at least $300 for each office visit and over $100 for my labs. and I cannot afford that.

Thanks all!

-Ashley
Toledo, OH

[Kimberly]

#1177347

Hello – I’m sorry to hear that you are dealing with this all these years later!

Unfortunately, the insurance issue is all too common with the current state of the economy. This is a recent thread that includes some suggested resources for patients who need treatment and don’t have insurance:

(Note on links: if you click directly on the following link, you will need to use your browser’s “back” button to return to the boards after viewing, or you will have to log back in to the forum. As an alternative, you can right-click the link and open it in a new tab or new window).

http://gdatf.org/forum/topic/43304/

Hopefully, one of these resources will be helpful. You might ask local labs and local doctor’s offices about negotiating a cash discount for paying up front. Some are willing to reduce their fees in exchange for not having to wade through months of insurance paperwork to collect.

Take care – and please be persistent until you get the care that you deserve!

[Steph82]

#1177348

Could you purchase your own major medical policy? My husband and I don’t get health insurance through our jobs so we bought a private policy through Humana. It has been a lifesaver because everything is negotiated down even if the insurance doesn’t cover it and the monthly premiums are not too bad. I don’t know how we would do this without it!

[Kimberly]

#1177349

@Steph82 – That’s interesting…I was actually turned down by that insurer because of my Graves’! But it’s definitely worth pursuing all angles to make sure we get the care that we need!

[Steph82]

#1177350

I didn’t think about pre-existing conditions, I didn’t have Graves when I got my policy…

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