This is part two of my posts about breast cancer for the month of October. This week I ask the ridiculous question about being prepared for a potentially life threatening or life altering diagnosis. I say it is a ridiculous question because are we ever prepared for such bad news? How can anyone be prepared for breast cancer in ourselves or our Mother, sister, friend, partner or daughter?
The two leading causes of breast cancer are: being a woman and too many birthdays. So if you are female and continue to live, there is a good chance you will get breast cancer in your lifetime. 1 out of 8 women will get breast cancer in her lifetime. I am a 10-year survivor, but you can start counting with me and include yourself and go on to count 7 other women in your life. Someone from this group will get breast cancer in her lifetime.
So how to be prepared? Statistically women over the age of 50 have a probable chance of a major health issue. This includes breast cancer of course but also high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease. My recommendation is Health insurance. You have insurance on your home, and your car, why would you not have the best coverage you can afford on yourself? If you get your health insurance from your employer why wouldn’t you spend a bit more when it is time to renew knowing that you are in the health issue lottery?
Many women do not get a yearly mammogram because they think they cannot afford it and then when they are diagnosed with breast cancer it is more advanced. A breast cancer diagnosed in a more advanced stage means more treatments and not such a promising outcome. There are charities and organizations like Susan Komen for the Cure that will help you if your income qualifies with the mammogram cost. There are insurance policies that can be bought for catastrophic events. If you are diagnosed with breast cancer, especially in the later stages, your sky-high deductible in a catastrophic policy will be met and you will be glad you had it!
Prescription drug coverage is an important factor in thinking about your health care costs. Drugs are expensive. Take it from me; you do not want to be thinking of the cost of a pill for nausea when chemotherapy has you hovering the commode! So the best preparedness is to make sure you do not have a cap on prescription drug coverage.
Would you be prepared? Have you reviewed your health insurance and prescription drug coverage recently?