Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Insurance

tally

Recommended Posts

tally Newbie
tally
Posted

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


plantime Contributor
plantime
Posted

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 Apprentice
wwebby
Posted

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 Contributor
YankeeDB
Posted

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 Newbie
tally
Posted
  • Author

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 Enthusiast
gf4life
Posted

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 Contributor
plantime
Posted

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!!

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


lauradawn Explorer
lauradawn
Posted

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 Enthusiast
gf4life
Posted

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

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      @Jane02, I hear you about the kale and collard greens. I don't do dairy and must eat green leafies, too, to get sufficient calcium. I must be very careful because some calcium supplements are made from ground up crustacean shells. When I was deficient in Vitamin D, I took high doses of Vitamin D to correct the deficiency quickly. This is safe...
    2. Jane02
      - Jane02 replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency. I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently...
    3. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      Hello, @Jane02, I take Naturewise D 3. It contains olive oil. Some Vitamin D supplements, like D Drops, are made with fractionated coconut oil which can cause digestive upsets. Fractionated coconut oil is not the same as coconut oil used for cooking. Fractionated coconut oil has been treated for longer shelf life, so it won't go bad in the...
    4. Scott Adams
      0

      Penobscot Bay, Maine: Nurturing Gluten-Free Wellness Retreat with expert celiac dietitian, Melinda Dennis

      until
      Hello! Join me and treat yourself to a four-day, three-night restorative gluten-free retreat in a peaceful, private coastal retreat setting near Penobscot Bay in Maine. Dates: April 10-13, 2026 Enjoy engaging classes...
    5. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      I do not know this, but since they are labelled gluten-free, and are not really a product that could easily be contaminated when making them (there would be not flour in the air of such a facility, for example), I don't really see contamination as something to be concerned about for this type of product.
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,327
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    dnamutant
    Newest Member
    dnamutant
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @Jane02, I hear you about the kale and collard greens.  I don't do dairy and must eat green leafies, too, to get sufficient calcium.  I must be very careful because some calcium supplements are made from ground up crustacean shells.  When I was deficient in Vitamin D, I took high doses of Vitamin D to correct the deficiency quickly.  This is safe and nontoxic.  Vitamin D level should be above 70 nmol/L.  Lifeguards and indigenous Pacific Islanders typically have levels between 80-100 nmol/L.   Levels lower than this are based on amount needed to prevent disease like rickets and osteomalacia. We need more thiamine when we're physically ill, emotionally and mentally stressed, and if we exercise like an athlete or laborer.  We need more thiamine if we eat a diet high in simple carbohydrates.  For every 500 kcal of carbohydrates, we need 500-1000 mg more of thiamine to process the carbs into energy.  If there's insufficient thiamine the carbs get stored as fat.  Again, recommended levels set for thiamine are based on minimum amounts needed to prevent disease.  This is often not adequate for optimum health, nor sufficient for people with absorption problems such as Celiac disease.  Gluten free processed foods are not enriched with vitamins like their gluten containing counterparts.  Adding a B Complex and additional thiamine improves health for Celiacs.  Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  Thiamine helps the mitochondria in cells to function.  Thiamine interacts with each of the other B vitamins.  They are all water soluble and easily excreted if not needed. Interesting Reading: Clinical trial: B vitamins improve health in patients with coeliac disease living on a gluten-free diet https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19154566/ Safety and effectiveness of vitamin D mega-dose: A systematic review https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34857184/ High dose dietary vitamin D allocates surplus calories to muscle and growth instead of fat via modulation of myostatin and leptin signaling https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38766160/ Safety of High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31746327/ Vitamins and Celiac Disease: Beyond Vitamin D https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11857425/ Investigating the therapeutic potential of tryptophan and vitamin A in modulating immune responses in celiac disease: an experimental study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40178602/ Investigating the Impact of Vitamin A and Amino Acids on Immune Responses in Celiac Disease Patients https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10814138/
    • Jane02
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Jane02 · Posted

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency.  I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently meet from my diet is vitamin D. Calcium is a hit and miss as I rely on vegetables, dark leafy greens as a major source, for my calcium intake. I'm able to meet it when I either eat or juice a bundle of kale or collard greens daily haha. My thiamine intake is roughly 120% of my needs, although I do recognize that I may not be absorbing all of these nutrients consistently with intermittent unintentional exposures to gluten.  My vitamin A intake is roughly 900% (~6400 mcg/d) of my needs as I eat a lot of sweet potato, although since it's plant-derived vitamin A (beta-carotene) apparently it's not likely to cause toxicity.  Thanks again! 
    • knitty kitty
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Hello, @Jane02,  I take Naturewise D 3.  It contains olive oil.   Some Vitamin D supplements, like D Drops, are made with fractionated coconut oil which can cause digestive upsets.  Fractionated coconut oil is not the same as coconut oil used for cooking.  Fractionated coconut oil has been treated for longer shelf life, so it won't go bad in the jar, and thus may be irritating to the digestive system. I avoid supplements made with soy because many people with Celiac Disease also react to soy.  Mixed tocopherols, an ingredient in Thornes Vitamin D, may be sourced from soy oil.  Kirkland's has soy on its ingredient list. I avoid things that might contain or be exposed to crustaceans, like Metagenics says on its label.  I have a crustacean/shellfish/fish allergy.  I like Life Extension Bioactive Complete B Complex.  I take additional Thiamine B 1 in the form Benfotiamine which helps the intestines heal, Life Extension MegaBenfotiamine. Thiamine is needed to activate Vitamin D.   Low thiamine can make one feel like they are getting glutened after a meal containing lots of simple carbohydrates like white rice, or processed gluten free foods like cookies and pasta.   It's rare to have a single vitamin deficiency.  The water soluble B Complex vitamins should be supplemented together with additional Thiamine in the form Benfotiamine and Thiamine TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) to correct subclinical deficiencies that don't show up on blood tests.  These are subclinical deficiencies within organs and tissues.  Blood is a transportation system.  The body will deplete tissues and organs in order to keep a supply of thiamine in the bloodstream going to the brain and heart.   If you're low in Vitamin D, you may well be low in other fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A and Vitamin K. Have you seen a dietician?
    • Scott Adams
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I do not know this, but since they are labelled gluten-free, and are not really a product that could easily be contaminated when making them (there would be not flour in the air of such a facility, for example), I don't really see contamination as something to be concerned about for this type of product. 
    • trents
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By trents · Posted

      Contact them.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.