Tok from South Africa - Dx around 2004

[Ivan]

I personally think that whoever got the idea that health care insurance goes with employment should be shot. In the unfortunate case that you lose your job, it automatically strips you of your medical coverage as well. How stupid is that?

[MarietjievdMerwe]

Dear Ivan,
Then we'll have a massacre on our hands! I do agree with you. There should be a solid health care system, but unfortunately we have so many social issues. It probably won't ever become a reality.

Keep smiling my Friend! Saw your posts and your picture and I am so glad and thankful that everything went well for you.

And that smile....

Keep well.
Kind regards.
Marietjie.

[Bonni Hess]

Dear Marietjie,
I Hope that Tok was able to have his appointment with Dr. Cohen yesterday and that he will be able to have the critically important CT scan to monitor the status of his disease. Fighting ASPS is certainly difficult enough without having to struggle with getting adequate medical care. My most caring thoughts and very best wishes are with Tok, you, and your family, and I will be anxiously awaiting your next update holding very tight to Hope for good news.
With special hugs, deepest caring, healing wishes for Tok, and continued Hope,
Bonni

[MarietjievdMerwe]

Dear Bonni,
Unfortunately Tok couldn't make his appointment. I am trying to get our local radio station involved, they do have an Angel programme in which they give financial assistance to people in need.

At this moment I can only hope and pray that they will be able to help him.

I will keep in touch regarding this heartbreaking matter.

Keep well dear Bonni.

Marietjie.

[Ivan]

Marietjie,

When Tok's wife finds another job, will he have coverage again or would they reject him as someone having a pre-existing condition?

[MarietjievdMerwe]

Ivan,
She's trying to find another job, of course.

They may not accept him because of the pre-existing condition, but if they do there will be a extra premium that they will have to pay. Provided that she gets a job with a good enough salary to be able to afford medical aid!

He is a great risk to any medical aid, which is understandable.

Ivan, my husband will try and explain to you how the medical system works in SA.
Kind Regards.
Marietjie.

Hi Ivan

We in South Africa have a system where we have what we call a medical aid, of which there are several different one's. These funds are all privately run and you pay a monthly premium for which they then cover your medical costs. They all have a variety of diffent options at different prices but the basic principle is that their cover improves as the monthly premium increase. You can belong to anyone of them but for the type of plan that will cover expensive treatment like cancer they become extremely expensive on a monthly basis. What happens when you are employed is that your bigger employers subsidise your premium and makes it affordable.
We do have state hospitals which used to be pretty good but they are now so flooded that they become death traps and very few decent doctors actually still work at them.

Carel

[Bonni Hess]

Dear Marietjie,
I am so very sorry that Tok was unable to have his scheduled appointment with Dr. Cohen. This situation is so heartbreaking and concerning as it is very important to manage this disease with regular scans and check ups. I wish that I had a good solution for this troubling dilemma, but am Hoping that it can somehow be resolved sometime soon so that Tok can get the medical care that he needs and deserves. Please keep the Board updated and know that Tok and your family are being held very close in my most caring thoughts.
With special hugs, shared concern, deepest caring, healing wishes for Tok, and continued Hope,
Bonni

[MarietjievdMerwe]

Dear Bonni,

Thank you for your caring words and sharing our concern. I will keep you updated on the situation. In the meantime I will keep on hoping and praying that there will be a solution soon.
We will be keeping the faith.

Special hugs to Brittany as well.

Kind regards.
Marietjie.

[Bonni Hess]

Dear Marietjie,
It has been about six weeks since you last posted, and I am Hoping that Tok is doing alright and that he has been able to obtain some medical insurance in order to have his scans which are so very important in monitoring and managing this disease. I know how very busy you are with your family, but please let the Board know how Tok is doing and what the situation is when your time allows. Take care and know that Tok, you, and your family are held very close in my heart and continued most caring thoughts.
With hugs, special caring, healing wishes for Tok, and continued Hope,
Bonni

[MarietjievdMerwe]

Dear Bonni!

I am so sorry for not updating.

Tok is doing very well, under the circumstances. He was not able to see dr Cohen again, BUT Carreen got temporary job with the possibility of it becoming permanent from Jan 2014. Hopefully they would be able to afford medical insurance again from 2014.

In the meantime we are just Hoping and Praying that this cancer is under control. Nothing much else we can do.

I will definitley keep the Board updated the moment I got news on him as well as the medical insurance again. We saw him about two months ago and he looked very good. He didn't even have a cold this past winter!

He has put on a good few kilo's and was really looking good. And Ivan will love this part: he started walking to work every day! Ok, it's only about half a km to work, but for Tok that is a whole lot of excercising.

Thank you for caring, Bonni. This means a GREAT deal to us and I will send your regards to Tok as well.

Kind regards.
Marietjie.

[Ivan]

I am happy that he is able to get out and enjoy a walk. Tell him to make it a brisk one, if possible!

Aren't there some charities you can go to to get some kind of coverage? I know that the drug manufacturers will often be willing to offer chemo for a low price to the needy. I am very sorry to say, but the reality is that not getting a regular and timely treatment is essentially a death wish. It may be a "slow-growing" disease, but that's very deceptive.

What's especially concerning is that the chemo was working.

[MarietjievdMerwe]

Dear Ivan,
I will convey your "brisk walk" wishes to Tok!

He can go to a state hospital and be on the waiting list for chemo treatment, but this could take weeks. I mean he will have to go in the mornings and wait to be treated. If he did not receive treatment that day he'd have to go back the next day. This could go on for weeks - go to the hospital, wait, go home in the evenings and start again in the morning.

Unfortunately dr Cohen only works at the private hospital in which Tok was treated previously. Also WE JUST CANNOT TRUST the drs at the state hospital. That would be suicide.

You must understand that this situation is HUGELY frustrating to us. I contacted our local radio station which has an Angel program, but till this day haven't heard anything again other that the automated reply of "we will do our best to find a sponsor for him".

Thanks dear Ivan for your concern. We do appreciate this.

Take care.

Kind Regards.
Marietjie.

[D.ap]

Marietjie

When someone looses their job do they defualt to state insurance and have to pay for that? In other words are they required to have insurance whether employeed or un employeed?
Our insurance system in th U.S.A is in the process of being changed and I was curious.
Scans etc shouldn't be too big of a risk. However blood work etc could be.
Josh hasn't required too much blodwork to date

Much love
Debbie

[MarietjievdMerwe]

Debbie,

When losing your job and not being able to afford private insurance, you will have to make use of the state health services which are free. As Tok is living in a small town about 230km from the city it would not be possible for him to come here and wait to firstly see a dr/oncologist and secondly be on a "waiting list" to receive chemo. The same applies for CT's, MRI's etc.

As I have told Ivan, just to see a dr in a state hospital could take weeks of going to the hospital, waiting and hoping to see somebody and if not, going home in the evening and starting all over again the next morning.

Our state hospitals are in an unbelievably bad state and again it would be suicide to receive chemo there. It's just not worth the risk.

Hope I have answered your questions?

Again, thank you for caring.

Kind regards.

[D.ap]

Wow
So a person has to take off work and still not have the security of whether they will see a doctor if they have state assisted insurance . The private insurance is run differently?
Here in the USA we have different states offering private insurance to the employers as Ivan has pointed out
There is also Medicaid offered to low income folks and Medicare that is for people 65 and over . Both the last two are paid through our personnel income taxes, both by the employee and the employer. The last two are administrated through our government . Medicare has to be supplemented by private insurance as our privatized systems have become more highly priced and our tax reserves have not kept up with the increases .
Average wait time can be any where from 3 weeks to 3 months depending on the urgency of the situation
However , every visit is scheduled
Thanks for the insight Marietjie
Sincerely
Debbie