cancer

[Sharie]

Without insurance it is impossible to find a doctor..

[healthcareguerilla]

If you need services, you need to contact the Breast and Cervical Cancer Program in your state. In some states, the program will cover both evaluation and treatment, (it did mine),in others, it will not. Also, due to passage of the BREAST AND CERVICAL CANCER PREVENTION AND TREATMENT ACT OF 2000, women who would not previously have been eligible for Medicaid assistance, in other words, women not on welfare...working women, too, without resources are granted what is called presumptive eligibility, which means that you don't have to go through all the red tape to be granted Medicaid. Unfortunately, and this is the crazy thing, although the Act was passed at the Federal level, individual states must approve it, THEN, get this, it has to go back to Health and Human Services Secretary Thompson, so that HE can approve the approval. How infinitely wise (sic). Anyway, here is a web address for that bill. We must contact our legislators to push them to approve full state acceptance, and we must push HHS Secretary Thompson to do the final approvals as soon as a state gives the OK. Your state may be all set to go. Medicaid workers may not know that this exists, so you may have to instruct them. Don't let ignorance of the law hurt you, or let anyone off the hook. A pink ribbon does not replace treatment!

[CCF-RN,MSN-JS]

Dear Sharie, There needs to be more evaluation of this lump before any determination can be made as to what it is. It is difficult to wait for the next step however your doctor may be able to put into perspective what absolutely needs to be done. If the recommendation is to see a breast specialist talk with them before more testing is done so things would not have to be repeated. Check with your local health department, they may have suggestions as to where in your area a women can go to have a breast lump evaluated, or programs that may assist with cost.