NJ Teacher Not Angelina Jolie Is The Brave One
Update 5/22/2013: As Julianne points out in the comments, Debbie Gentile-Abbood, Dr. Wife and I are all wrong when it comes to insurance coverage. The Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998 mandates insurance coverage for the preventative removal of the breasts as well as their reconstruction. I have confirmed this here and here. I still haven’t been able to confirm whether Medicaid/Medicare covers these procedures, but with the law on the books I’d be surprised if they didn’t. Given the daily battles Dr. Wife faces with the insurance companies, and my cynicism towards anything that stinks of corporate or bureaucrat involvement in healthcare we both assumed such coverage was not available to women. In this case, I’m very happy to be wrong. I know too many women who have been cut down early by the disease, and if there’s any chance of preventing it I’m all for it.
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A New Jersey teacher has taken issue with Angelina Jolie’s decision to remove her breasts before contracting breast cancer. Evidently Jolie tested positive for the BRCA gene mutation that makes one likely to develop breast cancer and had mastectomies before the cancer developed. Debbie Gentile-Abbood says “It upsets me… That’s good for her; she’s got the best health care and she’s got money. She doesn’t have to worry about taking off of work.”
I discussed Jolie’s decision with Dr. Wife who said it was a smart idea – if you had the money. She pointed out that a positive BRCA mutation test would likely not convince an insurance company to cover the cost of the radical mastectomies without evidence of cancer beforehand, and they would definitely not cover the reconstructive surgery Jolie underwent at the Pink Lotus Breast Center, considering it purely cosmetic. While many have commended Jolie for her courage to face a positive test and then act upon it, her actions seem less commendable for those of us who struggle getting tests pre-authorized, or writing letters to insurance companies on behalf of patients whose life-saving medicines aren’t covered in the company’s formulary. Gentile-Abbood won’t even take the test because doing so would put her family into a predicament caused by a positive result. Get the life-saving surgery and ruin the family financially, or play the odds and hope she doesn’t develop cancer. It is an appalling choice, but one that is faced every day by hundreds of women nearly all of whom lack Jolie’s means.
I don’t begrudge Jolie for her decision, but I don’t laud her either. Instead I would hope that cancer detection and treatments improve so that all women regardless of their economic background could live life without fear. Now that would be truly worth noting.
Julianne:
Dr. Wife is wrong. Almost all insurance companies cover testing for the BRCA mutations with the requisite history of cancer in the family. They also cover preventive mastectomies AND reconstructive surgery because it is mandated under federal law since 1998 that insurance companies cover it.
For those without insurance there are many options including waivers of fees as well as funding available through quite a few programs available to those who need financial assistance.
This NJ teacher is full of it. She makes a high salary and has a health insurance policy that many Americans would die for. No pun intended. Plus she has plenty of time off during a year to avail herself of medical care. I don’t know what she intended by her comments except to get attention cor herself because all she did in the end was misinform people about the situation and about herself. THAT is fear mongering.
A little research would have been helpful from both this teacher and you.
21 May 2013, 11:37 pmScott Kirwin:
Thanks for setting me right. I have updated the post.
22 May 2013, 7:56 am