My Healthcare

 I pay $500/month for Medicare and a supplemental policy through Humana, totaling $6,000 each year.  My co pays for medicines throughout the year, dental and vision expenses brings my annual out of pocket expenses to somewhere between $6,000 and $10,000 with the understanding that this amount is closer to 10 than to 6.

My healthcare annual costs including chemo, IVIG, daily immunotherapy pills, CT and PET along with doctor visits with Oncologist, Cardiologist, Urologist, Dermatologist, Orthopedics, and Optometrist has been AVERAGING $500,000 each year.

This means that I pay about 2% of my overall healthcare costs each year...  for me, that seems to be a real bargain.

Of course, I need to factor in the cost of gasoline going to and from doctors' appointments, wear and tear on the vehicle, and value that I place on my time.

My immunotherapy pills are $1,000 each month

My Chemo treatments are $25,000 each month

My IVIG treatments are $15,000 each month

My CT scans are $500 (2 per year)

My PET scans are $2,000 (2 per year)

My doctor visits are $1,500 for each visit for Oncology and around $1,000 for all the others except my family doctor.

My 6 radiation treatments were $50,000

My 3 cancer surgeries were $60,000

I have been receiving CANCER TREATMENTS FOR 15 YEARS that has included the above...

$7,500,000 is approximately what has been paid so far on my cancer treatment.  Part of this high cost is that fact that I am fighting TWO CANCERS simultaneously...

• Non Hodgkins Lymphoma
• Melanoma

My only out of pocket costs have been $4 every 90 for 6 different medications and $790/each month for my immunotherapy pills.  The real cost is $1,500 each month.

NOTE:  Fortunately, I am getting a grant that pays for my immunotherapy pills.

HERE's A KICKER - If I was getting an infusion each month for my Lymphoma instead of pills, my insurance would pay 100% of the cost.

January 2024 begins my 16th year of fighting cancer(s).

Unless you are in my shoes, you have no idea how lucky I feel to still be alive!!!