Add my stories to your list.

My 3 yo son got diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma and had surgery to remove a chunk of his spinal cord (that’s where the tumor was). He finished his first round of chemo and was scheduled to do some in-patient PT at a facility 0.2 miles away from the hospital he was in.

• Ambulance ride duration: 30s
• Ambulance cost: $6000
• Insurance coverage: $500

I straight up said “send it to collections. I don’t care. My son has cancer.” They fought for 6 months before going down to $250. I gave in.

Another: There’s a medication you take to cause your marrow to produce white blood cells quickly (the downside is that your bones feel like your burning—at least that’s how my son described it at 3 years old). This medication saves money in the long term since it means fewer ER visits for a cancer patient.

Coverage denied. Every. Time. Appealed every time, and got it covered. I probably spent close to 20 hours on calls & on hold just to get it covered for each treatment (~50 weeks I think?).

I make decent money (by my area’s standards) have very good insurance through my work, too. Despite all that, I had to dip into retirement & college funds to pay for various treatment. Hit out of pocket maximum every time and they always find something to deny.

It was fucking exhausting. Still is with ongoing issues and regular scans. He’s clear (so far) but man, fuck paid health insurance.