Newsletter: Fall Issue 2024

Oct 20

New Faces on the CBCF Board

We are thrilled to extend a warm welcome to our new board members Penny, Shauna, Brett, Depree and Callie! Each of you brings not only your expertise and dedication but also a personal connection to our mission of supporting our local neighbors with cancer.

Your own experiences with cancer uniquely position you to contribute with empathy and insight. As we embark on this journey together, we look forward to your valuable perspectives and the impact you will have in advancing our cause. Thank you for joining us in this vital work—your passion and commitment will be instrumental in driving meaningful change and providing hope to those we serve.

CBCF Collabs with Ten Pin for Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

Join CBCF and Ten Pin Brewery in supporting our local neighbors with cancer this October! When you buy a pint of Fight Club at one of our participating locations, a portion of the proceeds will go directly to CBCF. It’s a simple way to enjoy a drink while contributing to a cause that affects so many in our community.

You can find Fight Club at Ten Pin Tap House, Michael’s Bistro, Rock Top Burgers & Brews, and Moses Lake Taproom.

Did You Know..?

Our foundation also accepts donations via third party fundraising done throughout the Columbia Basin.

This last year at Country Sweethearts, we were able to award a very special community member named Kelsie Eddie. Kelsie, with the support of the Grant and Eddie families, has raised over $125,000 for CBCF over the last 14 years with her annual Turkey Trot. Thank you Kelsie for helping us support our local neighbors with cancer.

Upcoming Events

Always Olivia | Oct 4th
An Olivia Newton-John Tribute & kickoff for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Ten Pin Cancer Awareness Night | Oct 26th
Come enjoy this family friendly event at Lake Bowl Mini Golf where proceeds raised go directly to CBCF.

Turkey Trot |Nov 23rd

An annual Fun run started by Kelsie Eddie to raise money for the Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation.

Cancer Chronicles with Cynthia Dano

Last March, for the third month in a row, I received notice from Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center that I owed $20,000 from my December harrowing surgery and five night stay. I had previously ignored it, wondering What is taking my insurance company so long to get this taken care of? I called the hospital to question the bill and they said the insurance company had paid it’s portion and the balance was my responsibility. WHAT??? That’s impossible!

I am covered by Premera on a private plan which, due to my age, gender and past history makes the premium astronomical. To make the premium even somewhat manageable, I opted for a high deductible and high max out pocket. And still, the premium is a ridiculous $1600 per month! The max out of pocket of $8700-meaning anything beyond that amount should be paid 100% by the insurance company-had more than met this threshold with the chemo, doctor visits, scans and blood tests, culmination in the very expensive surgery and hospital stay, so I could not understand what the problem was. They referred me to the insurance company.

After much wasted time trying to have my insurance broker handle this problem, to no avail, I put on my boxing gloves and called the insurance company, ready for battle.

It took a lot of calls, time, patience (not my strong suit) and multiple customer service agents to learn that the $20,000 that Premera wasn’t paying was due to Sacred Heart being “out of network”. And since it was out of network, there is no max out of pocket. YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! I found this near impossible to believe. No maximum? How is that even possible? Why have insurance if there is no maximum out of pocket? So, according to the hospital and the insurance, I was on the hook for $20,000!

At that moment, I understood why insurance companies are hated and how medical debt can lead to serious hardship, poverty and even homelessness. I am very lucky and fortunate to be in a position to afford this -not willingly and not comfortably - but I would not have to go hungry or forego some other necessity just to pay my medical bills.

However, I wasn’t done fighting. With the ludicrously high premiums I pay, this is unacceptable. The insurance company said I could appeal and I did.

And I won. I was overcome with relief.

That whole episode made me wonder how many people have been in this position and did not know they could appeal? (And the appeal process is fairly painless.) How many people don’t know they can preemptively get an“out of network “ doctor to “in network”?

When I went through cancer the first time nine years ago, I ended up with a gynecological oncologist in Spokane. Having been sent there on an emergency basis, I did not have time or even care if she was “in network”. Fortunately she was at that time. Fast forward...due to contractual issues somewhere in the intervening nine years, she no longer was. I absolutely have to have her as my doctor. I have a rare cancer and there is no local option for me. She saved my life nine years ago and I have and will continue to be her patient as long as I am alive and she is in practice. She knows me, my medical history and most of all, the rare cancer I have. This was a problem. I asked what could be done short of switching insurance companies.

I was told by the insurance company to apply for a waiver.

“How do I do that?”

“Contact your GP and have her write a letter to the insurance company explaining the necessity.”

My General Practitioner is local (Confluence Health) so I called her. She was unfamiliar with and had never heard of or done this process before. But, she wrote the letter and within a short time, I received the waiver and my cancer doctor became “in network” for a one year period. (I think I must need to reapply annually). My doctor’s office is in the Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center which also houses the hospital and surgery centers. When it came time for my surgery, there was no question it would be at Sacred Heart...and therein lies the problem.

Unbeknownst to me. I, like most people, assumed that my waiver to allow the doctor to be “in network” included the entire facility in which she practiced. But no! Apparently, each doctor can have a different insurance arrangement and the hospital can have a different one from the doctors!. Noone told me this. Ever. Not when the doctors got the pre- authorization for the surgery. Not when all the pre-op paperwork was being done. Not when I was checked into the hospital. It was only after the surgery when I’m looking at a $20,000 bill, does it come up.

This seemed ridiculous and unfair. How would any person be expected to know that.. or to even question that? I learned some valuable lessons that I will share and hopefully this will help you or someone you know.

1. Always read your policy carefully regarding out of pocket expenses AND find out which medical centers and specific doctors are “in network”, especially if you are needing specialists.

2. If your specialist is out of network, see if you can get a waiver to get them in network. Talk to your insurance company for their own instructions to do that. Find out how long the waiver lasts.

3. Every time you see a new doctor, go to a different facility or even a different office within the same facility, make sure you are still in network or covered by the waiver.

4. If you have been billed for out of network expenses that you did not know were out of network, appeal to the insurance company laying out succinctly any and all extenuating circumstances. Don’t be afraid to re-appeal if necessary.

5. If all else fails, many medical facilities will help with hardship payments and/or set up a payment plan, oftentimes interest free. Always ask for interest-free financing.

6. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and advocate for yourself and your health.