A Message Of Love For Bill  & Denise

Bill's Newsletters To Family & Friends

17th Newsletter -

The saga continues... my cancer continues to grow and I can not get treatment!

As I stated, below, Denise and I are staying at the Wyndham hotel, a fifteen minute walk from the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, where I am ready to receive the only known "established" High Dose Chemotherapy (HDC) with a Stem Cell Transplant (SCT) procedure to cure me of my cancer, BUT... AGAIN, my insurance company, Health Net, has DENIED my doctor's request for the recommended treatment, for a different reason than last year! Unbelievable! Last year, Health Net denied the request for the same procedure, since their "fine print" in my health plan's documentation, stated that HDC with SCT could only be performed by an "in-network" SCT center. Thus, I had to leave one of the most renown hospitals in the world to have a "similar", but different, HDC / SCT procedure back in San Diego, which failed. Now, after being told by my Health Net representative that going back to MD Anderson for my original HDC / SCT procedure should look more favorable, now, after their recommend San Diego-based HDC / SCT had failed, Health Net has deemed the same procedure from last year as "Investigational" and therefore, NOT covered by my insurance. Again, unbelievable! After several feverish days, hours, minutes, of research conducted by Denise, my family, and myself, it seems (i.e. it's difficult to nail down the specific excuse for their denial) that having my twin brother, Bobby, donate his compatible and healthier stem cells to me for the procedure, is being considered "investigational" and therefore, not covered by my Health Net insurance. What could be "investigational" about having the opportunity of using someone else's stem cells, when collecting your own will be more difficult. Then, as I am willing to collect, myself, again, if needed, I am told by my Health Net representative that this might not be the only roadblock for getting approval for my needed treatment (i.e. there may be other fine print specifying that other parts of my recommended procedure may not be covered).

So, even though Health Net did approve and cover all of my treatment to date, with some hesitation, they just don't want to come through when absolutely needed, when you have cancer! Which cancer treatments to date do not contain "investigational", experimental, or clinical trial, aspects to them! Why am I paying more for a Health Net POS health plan that allows me to go to any doctor or hospital in the world, if the "fine print" is going to deny me coverage? One should view Health Net's coverage for cancer patients as suspect, after considering what they are doing (or not doing) for me and what they have done to others as described in the links, below. So, the disease is tough, but the health care aspects associated with it can be worse!

With all said... I feel well and the fight does go on! With my sister, Betty, leading the charge and my beautiful wife, Denise, and all our families and friends by my side, we are scouring the books working on an appeal to Health Net's denial and looking for other options, which has been both a promising and discouraging process. However... I have NO DOUBT that we will find a solution to this problem! With so many of our family members and ourselves working tirelessly searching for options, I do feel confident that we WILL find a way forward so that I can continue my blessed life, which is so, since I have you ALL in it! Denise has been strong and inspirational throughout this whole difficult and emotional process and I am incredibly grateful to have her! What would (i.e. could) anyone do if they didn't have a support system as great as mine?

Stay healthy all for it's the most precious gift of all! We love you all!

Love,

Bill and Denise


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