Insurance

[tally]

I have been covered under my husband's insurance for 38 years. He is now retired and his company went bankrupt and we are trying to find insurance and they will take him but not me since I have celiac. Has anyone else had this problem

[plantime]

My personal opinion is that insurance is a rip-off. However, with all of the problems that celiacs have, it is necessary for the testing. I wish you the best of luck finding a company to cover you. If you have been diagnosed, and are gluten-free, shouldn't they have to cover you? I know they claim preexisting condition, but I thought they could only use that to say they will not pay for certain things. Maybe I am just ignorant about health insurance.

[wwebby]

The world doesn't take celiac seriously enough, in other words, no products get labeled, restaurants don't care, and friends and family think we're hypochondriacs..

but when it comes to insurance, they take it too seriously! A gluten-free celiac is not a health risk!

so frustrating...

[YankeeDB]

Tally, if you weren't diagnosed with a biopsy, then you don't OFFICIALLY have celiac disease. Just wanted to mention this in this discussion for completeness.

In my opinion, this is one good reason NOT to have a biopsy (although there are reason TO have one as well so it's not an easy call at all.)

[tally]

I was diagnosed with a biopsy. The only outward signs I have basically is anemia, and very little dermatitis. I had had diahrea for six months and lost a lot of weight, so I went to a gastrologist and he did a biopsy and diagnosed me. I went off flour, etc. and it cleared up within a few days. I went glueten free for nine months, then slowly put it back in my diet. I have had no problem except once in a great while I get diarhea for a day or two and I stay off it again, otherwise I am healthy as a horse. It just irritates me that I am well with it for probably 99% of the year, but since I was so called "branded" with the term celiac they lump me in with the uninsurable. I went again to another insurance company and asked them to check with their underwriters if they could insure me. I told them up front that I was diagnosed with it even though I have hardly any trouble with it. The underwriter came back on the phone and said I would not be accepted. When the agent asked why they said that their book said that celiacs have a greater tendency for lymphomas and that is why they would not take me. The only recourse is to go with state insurance which is $493.00 a month, which to me is a big chunk of change.

[gf4life]

Would it be possible to collect some reliable information about the fact that the lymphoma rate in Celiacs on a gluten-free diet is about the same for non-celiacs. It is only non-treated celiacs that is at higher risk. Maybe you could convince one company to change their mind. $493.00 a month is just too much to have to pay!

God bless,

Mariann

[plantime]

Tally, If you have been biopsy-diagnosed with celiac disease, then YOU MUST STAY OFF GLUTEN FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. It is NOT something you can eat, period! The diarrhea is because of the damage done to your intestines. Eating gluten causes the damage. It takes time to cause the level of damage required for diarrhea, which is why you only get it occasionally. When you go off gluten to clear up the diarrhea, your body heals, but when you add it back in, you destroy your body again. Your body will only heal so much, then the damage will become permanent. If this is the treatment you follow, no insurance company in the world will cover you. You put yourself in the extremely high risk category for lymphomas and other very expensive illnesses by eating the way you do. You can not add gluten back into your diet, ever!!

[lauradawn]

I agree with Dessa, according to your story, you have added gluten back in your diet. If you have Celiac, you cannot do that! Your risk for lymphomas, and other serious automimmune diseases is exremely high if you are ignoring the strict regime of gluten free eating. Celiac is controlled through a 100% gluten-free diet for LIFE! IF you are not doing that, wether you FEEL different or not, it is not under control. Please reconsider your eating habits. This is very dangerous to ignore.

[gf4life]

Laura and Dessa are both right. I missed that fact when I was reading through the post yesterday. As long as you are not on the gluten-free diet, you are shortening your life expectancy. You are certainly increasing your risk for lymphoma, as well as an enormous array of other diseases. Please reconscider the diet. Even if you do not have symptoms you still need to be gluten-free. One of my children is asymptomatic and he is still on the diet. I have never given him the option of not doing it. In my opinion it is not a viable option for anyone who is Celiac, or even just gluten sensitive.

God bless,

Mariann