What’s it like living with cancer that needs ongoing treatment under an ACA plan?
This isn't a question about cost or financial implications. I understand the math on deductable and max out-of-pocket, it's very expensive.
Rather, what's your experience been under ACA when you needed a new cancer treatment, drugs, tests, etc.? Is it challenging to get approvals vs traditional employer-sponsored PPO plans?
Context: I (M46) was diagnosed with multiple myeloma last year while on my employer's excellent PPO plan. There were zero hassles covereing >$1m of claims: expensive drugs, hospital stays, diagnostics, biopsies, switching from one hospital network to my local research hospital. It's in remission now and hopefully stays that way for years, but myeloma comes back at some point. I'll eventually need new expensive treatments to beat it back down, then it returns again, rinse and repeat.
Given this diagnosis and lack of clarity on how long I'll live, I'm thinking of retiring sometime soon. We're fortunate to be in a position to afford a gold ACA plan + max out-of-pocket in our state. Several plans appears to cover the same research hospital I go to today. But I'm quite nervous about moving away from the excellent work plan I have today: will I get the coverage I need when I need it?
I genuinely appreciate the input.
submitted by /u/Remarkable_Maybe9813
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