Financial help for breast cancer tests?

Factual Questions
1

I have a friend who lives in New Mexico. She’s 19 years old and because of some difficulties she’s been having with her breasts, she’s afraid she might have breast cancer. She went and had some tests done but they’re refusing to release the results to her unless she pays close to $300. Apparently, her Medicade is no longer available to her now that she’s no longer 18. Neither her nor her family can afford to pay, so I’m wondering if there are any foundations or other sources that could help her. She says she’s talked to some people, but they said that since she’s so young, she probably wouldn’t qualify for much.

(I’d also assume that if the results did show she had cancer, they’d be required to tell her… yes?)

2

I must be really cynical because that sounds strange. She thinks she has breast cancer - at 19 - and went to a doctor and they won’t tell her the test results unless she pays? Where did they do these tests - in his office? At a lab? What kind of tests? How did she pay for the doctor’s visit itself? “Tests” for cancer are usually done at a hospital or radiology imaging center. Didn’t they ask for her insurance, or payment information, before she had the tests?

Do you have any other information?

3

Okay, I’ll admit it seems a little odd to me as well. I don’t pretend to understand it all and I don’t feel comfortable a) challenging her on her statements; or b) digging for further info. She says she had the tests done when she was 18 and covered by medicaid, but now can’t get the results cuz she’s 19 and no longer covered. All that I know further is that she said she did find lump(s) during a self-exam, if memory is correct.

4

It sounds like something Planned Parenthood could advise her on. They do a lot for affordable women’s healthcare.

5

In the interest of being kind, I’ll say that she may be telling you the wrong thing, or she has misunderstood something, or you may remember it wrong. I cannot believe that if the tests were done WHILE she was covered that they won’t give the results to her now that she’s not covered anymore.

I also don’t believe that any legitimate doctor or hospital would knowingly withhold a patient’s cancer status until they were paid. Clearly some scumbag might; so she should just find another hospital. Perhaps your friend should simply go to an emergency room and say she is indigent and explain her problem. They cannot refuse to examine her and if necessary, she can pursue further medical treatment and explore payment options.

I think Planned Parenthood’s breast care stops at exams. They don’t provide further treatment. However, it’s somewhere to go to at least have an exam by a professional.

6

One thing to keep in mind is that the risk of breast cancer in a 19 year old is incredibly low.

7

Um, I’ve had all sorts of financial issues, but I’ve never heard of anyone withholding results until they get money. They send a bill in the mail, usually. It might be good for her to understand that those records are hers and that legally they belong to her and an office has no right to withhold them. The money is a totally separate issue.

Are they withholding the results because she hasn’t paid? Probably a pressure tactic – if she’s their patient they owe her care whether she can pay or not. They’d have to formally dismiss her from their practice and that would be for FUTURE care.

If I were she I’d call the office manager of the organization (hospital, outpatient clinic, doctor’s office) and try to set up some payment plan. Usually someone who makes even small payments is considered sincere and not trying to get out of a bill. Thirty dollars a month for ten months should suffice if that’s all she can come up with.

Then I’d ask the manager to ask the nurse or doctor to report to her on the test(s) she had done. She has a right to a copy of the report (they can charge her a copying fee which would be nominal), whether positive or negative results. I can’t believe a medical facility would withhold positive results – that’s the way to a negligence lawsuit.

In my state we have an “Every Woman Matters” program through the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation that helps women who can’t afford services. I bet there’s one in every state.

Central New Mexico Affiliate
8200 Mountain Road NE
Suite 220
Albuquerque, NM 87199
Phone: 505-265-4649
Fax: 505-265-4651
The American Cancer Society also is a good source for funding, arranging mammograms and other tests, or generally steering her toward those that can help.

Community hospitals and County General Hospitals have social workers that can answer questions and perhaps arrange tests and treatment.

A very good friend of mine has had two bouts of breast cancer and was given care by the County of San Francisco at no cost. Beware! There’s lots of paperwork.

Your young friend has a ton of homework to do and maybe hours of phone calls to make. Help is out there! If she’s not internet savvy perhaps you can help her with local searches. Concern about a life threatening disease is scary, and I’m sure her thinking isn’t up to par. There is a little something screwy about her story though, but I wouldn’t risk it.

I’ve been in her position and can say that despite that bad rap that the medical profession gets, once that diagnosis has been made the compassionate side of hospitals and the medical professionals come out. For the most part, they’re really on our side.

Good luck to her. Let us know how she’s doing.

8

Thanks straykat, I passed the info along to her. As far as I understand it, both of her breasts have swollen from 40C to 62F over the past… year? year and a half? Her mom is a size ‘A’ apparently, which is one of her reasons for concern. Since it’s both breasts, that would kinda rule out breast cancer and/or breast abcess wouldn’t it? It could be a late growth spurt, I guess, but she’s understandably worried. I think she’s in or around Roswell.

9

A friend lent her some money and she was able to get all the info and stuff, and she told me she does have breast cancer. Though it’s in early stages and probably could be taken care of in two treatments. Now she just has to find the money for the treatments…

10

Sigh.

Honey, no breast cancer can be taken care of in two treatments. Is she sure that two courses of treatment weren’t prescribed? Chemotherapy and radiation?

Chemo usually requires 4-6 treatments; rads around 30-35. Also, there is usually a lumpectomy or mastectomy in the mix, along with further treatments of taxol/taxotere/herceptin, etc. , followed (perhaps) by a five-year regimen of tamoxifen. There are anti-nausea/vomiting/anxiety/low blood count drugs that are prescribed as a matter of course. This is for normal care - blips along the way require additional treatments and expense.

This is massively expensive unless one is penniless, then the County (or whatever) steps in.

I don’t think she’s understanding what her caregivers are telling her. Someone must intercede for her and get the information straight from her doc’s office. You didn’t mention it, but I’ll ask - is she illegal?

Please send me a PM if you’d like some further info about websites that she can visit or further info that I can try to supply for her. I’m kinda’ an old hand at this and welcome the opportunity to help someone out. Although I’m certainly not an expert, I’m a survivor.

straykat23@aol.com

11

It just doesn’t ring true. Is she asking you for money?
A massive increase in breast size bilaterally isn’t a symptom of breast cancer.
Ovarian or adrenal cancer could cause an over abundance of estrogen causing breast enlargment, but 40C to 62F really only means she’s gained a lot of weight.
The 40 and 62 are rib cage measurements, not breast size. An increase in chest circumference of 22 inches would also cause an increase in cup size “F” is typically the same as “DDD” not an outragous increase with weight gain.
Cancer suffers more typically lose weight.
It sounds like she’s trying to scam you for $$$$

12

Skott, I hope this doesn’t offend you but someone has to ask:

Is this a real friend from real life? I mean, is this someone you have met in person and know well? Or is this a friend from the Internet who you have never actually met? Seeing pictures or on cam doesn’t count. Is this a person you know for a fact is an actual female and who you have met and had an actual in-person relationship with?

Could she possibly be leading up to asking you for the money? Even if she hasn’t yet, do you think she is giong to work up to that?

As picunurse said, cancer cannot be “cured” in two treatments. Also, her mother’s bra size really has little relevance to her own. Also, going from 40 to 62 just means she got really really fat. In my experience, it is usually men who mistakenly believe that a large number in the bra size means big giant boobs, because men are unfamiliar with how bras are sized. Women usually know that the number has nothing to do with how big their boobs are. Also, it would be extremely rare for a 19-year-old girl to get breast cancer. And the whole thing about “she had the tests when she was 18 and covered by Medicaid but now that she’s 19 Medicaid won’t pay for the tests she had WHEN she was covered” is frankly a bunch of crap.

I hope you are not being scammed and I hope your friend is not actually sick and has just grossly misunderstood whatever it is that any doctor is telling her. If you don’t know this person long-term and in person, please don’t give her any money. Good luck.

13

missbunny, thank you for softening my comments. And Skott, I apologize if I sounded snarky. I didn’t mean to.
Sometimes I’m too blunt. :rolleyes:

14

Yeah, I work in a radiology clinic (in billing — I am not a doctor and I am not giving medical advice) and there’s a lot that sounds funny here, for the reasons everybody above has said: symmetrical bilateral breast hypertrophy is an unlikely result of breast cancer or abscess; HIPAA laws should give her access to her medical records whether the doctor’s bill is paid or not; and if her insurance covered her on the date of service it shouldn’t matter when they receive the bill, so long as it is within one year (generally considered the cutoff for timely filing of a claim).

15

picunurse: I didn’t think you were being snarky. I was just expanding on what you said.

Also, sorry, it was straykat who said cancer couldn’t be cured in two treatments.

The whole thing sounds fishy to me. I am admittedly the biggest cynic on the planet, though.

16

This is not “fishy”. This is an out-and-out lie, and not a good one, either. Skott would be foolish to even speak to this “friend” again, let alone continue responding to her attempts at scamming him. Not a single aspect of this story was remotely believable; add them all together and it’s just not possible that this has anything to do with the truth.

17

I was trying to be kind. I thought “SCAM” from the first post but I have made an effort lately to be kind to those more willing to accept such stories.

18

I hear you; I just wanted to say it very clearly because Skott seems to be working hard at ignoring the obvious.

19

No, it seems legit to me. I know how we can help her, too. Skott and I will open a joint bank account, each of us putting up $300…

20

Sounds like a scam to me. I’ll have to echo missbunny’s question. Is this a friend? Or a “friend?”