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CA renter.
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July 11, 2014 at 12:59 AM #776392July 11, 2014 at 1:01 AM #776393
CA renter
ParticipantBG, I hope that you have good luck with your biopsy result as well!
Since your dad died from melanoma, do they have you on a high-risk examination schedule, or do you just go in when something comes up?
July 11, 2014 at 11:28 AM #776416bearishgurl
Participant[quote=CA renter]BG, I hope that you have good luck with your biopsy result as well!
Since your dad died from melanoma, do they have you on a high-risk examination schedule, or do you just go in when something comes up?[/quote]
I’ve actually only had 2 small moles in my entire life. Both of them changed and now both have been removed. I had a squamous cell carcinoma taken off my bicep (arm) back in the ’80’s.
I don’t work outside like my dad did and am very careful in the sun. I even apply sunscreen constantly on road trips to avoid getting too much sun through the windshield.
I hadn’t been to this dermatologist since 2009 (they told me yesterday, lol) and have seen him about 4-5 times. None of those visits were related to skin cancer. For example, I was one of the first people to use PUVA lights to treat hand eczema back in the late ’80’s.
So, no, I’m not on a high-risk examination schedule for melanoma. But I do pay attn to my skin because I spent all the summers of my youth boating and waterskiing and there was no “SPF” put in sunscreen back then. Most of what was on the market was equivalent to SPF 2 or 4, the tanning oils had zero SPF and “Coppertone Shade” was roughly equivalent to SPF 15. There were just a handful of brands and types available then compared to what we have today. We even put a few drops of iodine in a bottle of baby oil to add color and applied it all over to “lay out” and bake ourselves in the sun :=0
I’m suffering for those sins today in various ways.
My favorite suntan lotion back then was “Sea and Ski” due to its scent 🙂
July 11, 2014 at 11:54 AM #776417FlyerInHi
Guestbg, I had the same thing done.
In your case, maybe the doctor used some kind of cauterization tool to stop bleeding after using a scalpel.
For me, he shaved the area with a scalpel, applied pressure and some ointment to stop bleeding. No bandage needed.
I was prescribed mupirocin antibiotic ointment but I didn’t fill it because my cuts always heal well.. I know, bad, bad for not following doctor’s orders.
I’m the opposite of most people. I try to understand exactly what medical services I’m getting. And I want to use the least possible.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/skin-biopsy/basics/what-you-can-expect/prc-20014632
July 11, 2014 at 12:03 PM #776420Guestbg, funny you should mention that we are more knowledgeable today about the effects of the sun.
Sometimes, I would walk shirtless for a little bit to get natural vitamin D, but never more than 10 minutes. Hard to believe that people use to bake under the sun.
With all the knowledge and medical services available, we should live longer than our parents. Shame on us if we don’t.
People of my parents generations used to smoke, do all kinds of bad stuff…. They also suffered a lot of environmental pollution and occupational hazards.
July 12, 2014 at 12:30 AM #776450Participant[quote=bearishgurl][quote=CA renter]BG, I hope that you have good luck with your biopsy result as well!
Since your dad died from melanoma, do they have you on a high-risk examination schedule, or do you just go in when something comes up?[/quote]
I’ve actually only had 2 small moles in my entire life. Both of them changed and now both have been removed. I had a squamous cell carcinoma taken off my bicep (arm) back in the ’80’s.
I don’t work outside like my dad did and am very careful in the sun. I even apply sunscreen constantly on road trips to avoid getting too much sun through the windshield.
I hadn’t been to this dermatologist since 2009 (they told me yesterday, lol) and have seen him about 4-5 times. None of those visits were related to skin cancer. For example, I was one of the first people to use PUVA lights to treat hand eczema back in the late ’80’s.
So, no, I’m not on a high-risk examination schedule for melanoma. But I do pay attn to my skin because I spent all the summers of my youth boating and waterskiing and there was no “SPF” put in sunscreen back then. Most of what was on the market was equivalent to SPF 2 or 4, the tanning oils had zero SPF and “Coppertone Shade” was roughly equivalent to SPF 15. There were just a handful of brands and types available then compared to what we have today. We even put a few drops of iodine in a bottle of baby oil to add color and applied it all over to “lay out” and bake ourselves in the sun :=0
I’m suffering for those sins today in various ways.
My favorite suntan lotion back then was “Sea and Ski” due to its scent :)[/quote]
Yes, I totally remember those days. We’d only use SPF 4 at the beginning of summer to get that “base coat” (AKA: first sunburn of the year). Some of us are now paying dearly for our the foolish decisions we’ve made in our youth. At least we can teach our children from our mistakes…if they’ll listen to us.
July 18, 2014 at 3:46 PM #776858joec
ParticipantJust posted last week:
Anthem Blue Cross is now being sued…
”
The suit says that Anthem, the state’s largest individual health insurer, delayed providing full information to consumers until it was too late for them to change coverage. Anthem also failed to disclose it had stopped offering any plans with out-of-network coverage in four of the state’s biggest counties — Los Angeles, Orange, San Francisco and San Diego, the suit says.
”If you have Anthem, you’re so screwed…I really hate them.
August 18, 2014 at 11:12 PM #777453ParticipantJust checking in to see how your biopsy results went, Brian and BG. Hope that everything went well and that you are enjoying your summer…after applying your daily SPF lotion! 🙂
Brian, just a note that airline pilots are high risk for melanoma. Might want to discuss with your derm what steps you can take to prevent it.
August 18, 2014 at 11:36 PM #777456GuestI still have a red spot. Hope it goes away. Doc says nothing to worry about.
August 18, 2014 at 11:53 PM #777458ParticipantHi CAR, I went back Wed to have it checked and the dr told me to use Aquaphor on it to keep it from drying out because it needed more time to heal. It is still dark. No cancer, but I wish mosquitoes didn’t love me so much. I came back from a recent road trip with dozens of bites because I wasn’t able to purchase any repellent (small towns I was in were sold out)! I now have it stored it in the car and will leave for another road trip next month armed with 3 different kinds of repellent. Summer is going great but I wish I didn’t have so much work to do and more time to spend working on my house!
August 19, 2014 at 9:30 AM #777464ParticipantGreat to hear it’s not cancer in both of your cases. 🙂
Yeah, it takes a while for the biopsy site to heal, but it’s always a good idea to get anything unusual checked out.
November 25, 2014 at 12:42 PM #780375Guest[quote=CA renter]Great to hear it’s not cancer in both of your cases. 🙂
Yeah, it takes a while for the biopsy site to heal, but it’s always a good idea to get anything unusual checked out.[/quote]
FYI, insurance was charged $1198 for biopsy. I think you estimated $500.
I hate going to the doctor’s and using up resources for nothing, when I gain nothing.
I don’t see why people are so uptight about discussing medical costs. They should not be so opaque.
November 25, 2014 at 12:57 PM #780376Participant[quote=FlyerInHi][quote=CA renter]Great to hear it’s not cancer in both of your cases. 🙂
Yeah, it takes a while for the biopsy site to heal, but it’s always a good idea to get anything unusual checked out.[/quote]
FYI, insurance was charged $1198 for biopsy. I think you estimated $500.
I hate going to the doctor’s and using up resources for nothing, when I gain nothing.
I don’t see why people are so uptight about discussing medical costs. They should not be so opaque.[/quote]
Ironic that you posted this, FIH, and my Blue Shield file is sitting right here on my desk!
My ins was actually charged $578 for two visits plus a biopsy. But the EOB’s and bills indicate that $144.40 was pd by my ins co (per contract) and I paid $88.38 in copays/coinsurance for a total of $232.78.
Medical providers always charge a lot when they code procedures/visits for billing purposes but end up settling for the contracted amount from the carrier, whatever that may be. The rest is the responsibility of the patient.
November 25, 2014 at 1:01 PM #780378Hatfield
ParticipantGlad to hear folks are healthy. Let’s keep it that way, OK? 🙂
So it’s open enrollment season again. Quick recap: I was with Costco Pacificare since 2006, and good booted about a year ago when Pacificare pulled out of the individual marker in California. Went on the exchange and picked HealthNet which was one of several PPO options available. Was informed a few months ago that HealthNet was pulling their PPO plans out of the exchange.
it looks like (at least for my demographic) Blue Shield is the only company currently offering a PPO through Covered California. There’s probably 20+ other plans available to me, but they’re all HMO or EPO.
November 25, 2014 at 1:05 PM #780379Participant[quote=bearishgurl]Medical providers always charge a lot when they code procedures/visits for billing purposes but end up settling for the contracted amount from the carrier, whatever that may be.[/quote]
I have a theory about this. I think what might happen is that the provider initially sends a bill for “Rack Rate” which is sometimes ten or 20 times their contracted reimbursement rate. My gut feeling is that they do this so that if the patient is uninsured or the insurer denies coverage, they can go after the patient. If the patient can’t pay, they then sell the debt to a collection agency for the usual pennies on the dollar. Pretty shifty but that’s my theory.
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