It turns out that getting COVID may have saved my life. It made me take chest pain & shortness of breath seriously enough to get a CT where they found a kidney tumor. MRI confirmed. 90% it’s renal cell carcinoma (cancer) but easily curable w/ surgery. It’s been a crazy 2 weeks.

These are slow-growing masses & cause no symptoms until they are usually fatal. I’m beyond lucky. I’m also lucky that I have insurance, actually doubly insured, and yet I still got a denial letter from insurance that my MRI wasn’t “medically necessary.”

This is also my 2nd cancer in 19 years with my first a melanoma at age 21. I’m remember turning down a job before I was married because it didn’t offer insurance and the medical director saying to me, “You’re young and healthy. Just go out any buy yourself some insurance.”

On a whim, mid-pandemic, I added my own insurance in addition to my husband’s. And by the grace of God, it is accepted at MD Anderson as the other policy is not. Nor is Medicare Advantage. Or Texas ACA plans. Which also means if I lose my insurance, I lose my access.

This happens to people every day, especially those who lose their jobs due to their illness. I am fundamentally opposed to insurance being tied to employment for this very reason. Publicly-funded hospitals should also have to accept ALL insurance in my opinion.