Tuesday, November 15, 2016

When One Door Closes…

When one door closes, another door opens. But sometimes you have to open it yourself.” –unpublished sage from Tallahassee.

A couple of weeks ago I asked my primary care physician to refer me to UF Health in Jacksonville for consultation on proton beam therapy. He forwarded my request to my HMO (Capital Health Plan) to make sure they’d pay for it. Capital Health Plan eventually considered the request, and turned it down. I could appeal their decision, but that would take at least several more weeks, and even if they did eventually approve it I’d run out of time to schedule the consultation visit in Jacksonville before the end of the year.

So…one option now is to not do anything until after the first of the year—when the consultation and the treatment will be covered by Medicare. However, I’m anxious to get the show on the road (that is, get myself on the road to Jacksonville). So, I’m going to take door number two: pay for the consultation myself. It will cost less than I had expected, especially since UF Health gives a 30% discount to people who can’t get their insurance to cover the consultation. I’m waiting now for the appointment coordinator to call and schedule it.

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