Hi
Not posted for a long time but look through site quite regularly.
I was wondering if anyone has had problems with private insurance covering the cost of the various stages of reconstruction.
I had my left Mastectomy in May 07 but couldnt have recon then as needed to be done urgently but my insurance company said it would be covered when i needed it. I had a Diep recon in June 08 and nipple recon and uplift of right breast in January so far after much negotiating and constant chasing they have covered this.
After ignoring the request in FEb 08 from my consultant regarding the nipple tattoe they are now saying they will only pay a very small part of the cost, this arguing between the insurance and consultant has now been going on for a couple of months and I am the one who constantly has to chase it up. I also need some lypostyling as new breast is quite sunken at the top, but it looks like there is no chance of this. I know this is only very minor but if they had made it clear to start with I could have been on the NHS list and probably sorted by now.
I wish these insurance companies would make it clear they wont cover everything.
Has anyone else had problems with insurnce?
Hi Rachie
I had Mx & DIEP recon last year and there was a shortfall of about £1600 for the op. I’ve been told this is quite common with insurance. I have had a rough time with my recon and lots of problems with fat necrosis. Also I am massively asymetrical compared to my unnaffected side. I have more surgery booked in for September and the insurance company are paying for work done to the recon and have the portacath removed (just finished Herceptin) however the PS has had to lay it on thick and write letters to the insurance company to say there is lots of necrotic tissue that needs removing, I think I will get one procedure of lipofilling done through the insurance but then they have made it pretty clear they will only cover for medical necessary procedures and not cosmetic surgery. I’m having a mastopexy done on my unaffected side to try and obtain a kind of symmetry. I would never have considered this sort of surgery prior to BC and am only doing it in the hope they both hang in the same postcode eventually (LOL!) but the insurance company won’t even negotiate on the mastopexy classing it as cosmetic so I am paying for that part of the procedure.
In some ways it’s frustrating but in other ways I’m so grateful to have got this far and had all my treatment privately. Fingers crossed I won’t need it but I’ve read on this site that ladies who now have secondaries are having to fight their PCT for access to drugs like Avastin and Lapatinab which as a private patient I am covered for at least for a few cycles so it’s definitely worth having.
Good luck with your procedures
E xx
Do NOT get me started about insurance companies, their ineptitde and how much better things would have been and still would be on the NHS!!!