www.leaderlines.net Learning Beyond Life's Speed Bumps The Cost of Staying Alive … An Update

The Cost of Staying Alive … An Update

March 9, 2017CoachVickyLeave a comment

This rodeo has been an expensive ride.  As I have shared before, we are blessed with great insurance from Richard’s military service.

Richard and I are in the tenth month of this cancer journey.  My formal treatments will end in mid-August.  I will have one more surgical procedure to have my port removed but it will be a simple doctor’s office procedure and not like the surgery to implant it. (Well, I hope it is simple!  My surgeon says it will be.)  I will take an anti-cancer hormone therapy pill for five years and injections every six months.  Of course, there will be follow-up cancer scans and oncologist visits for the rest of my life.

So, the rodeo may be slowing down but the ride is not over.  The costs will continue.

Our insurance has been billed $582,460.84.  Go ahead and read that amount again.  That is over 1/2 million dollars.

That amount includes two biopsies, six surgeries, all chemo treatments to date, doctors’ visits, and prescriptions.  This amount does not include the expense of my Tricare Case Manager.  It does not include all the auxiliary costs such as special clothing when I had drain tubes, surgical vest during reconstruction, non-prescribed medicines, bandages, bacterial ointments, gel caps, dry ice, special shampoos, bacterial soaps, oral hygiene products, and so forth.

Our co-pays and out of pocket expenses have been minimal.  Again, we are blessed.

Leaders … In this day and age of many HR functions being on line, what face-to-face conversations do you have with your followers to ensure they:

… Have at least adequate health insurance?

… Start preparing for retirement on day 1 of employment?

… Maximize matching funds to a retirement plan?

…Update their life insurance with significant life events (marriage, births, death …)?

-VhS