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player ready...The American Bar Association’s Commission on Women is pitching in to help breast cancer patients.
“Lawyers are uniquely positioned to help patients caught in the benefits bureaucracy,” said Bobbi Liebenberg, special adviser and former vice chair of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession. “We can be advocates in the denial of insurance benefits, advocates for new legislation and a national resource for breast cancer patients.”
The commission recently launched its Breast Cancer Legal Advocacy Project, which is designed to educate breast cancer patients and their families about their legal rights when they are denied health insurance coverage for cancer treatments. The project also will train lawyers to advocate effectively on behalf of cancer patients.
“A lot of times women feel that if they’ve gotten a rejection from their insurance company, that’s just the way it is,” Liebenberg said. “As part of our advocacy project, we’re trying to empower women and offer effective tactics in fighting. You are fighting for your life and you should be prepared to do it.”
The advocacy project has identified 10 steps in protecting the legal rights of breast cancer patients:
1. Read your health insurance policy carefully.
2. Determine whether the treatment, procedures and drugs prescribed by your physician are covered by your policy. If there is a problem, address it early.
3. Find out about the appeals process under your policy and make sure you meet all of the deadlines set by your insurance carrier.
4. Consult with an expert who is knowledgeable about health insurance law.
5. Plead your case in person to your insurance carrier.
6. Personalize your written case with your insurance company by including photos of yourself so your file is not just a case number when the insurance company reviews it.
7. Obtain copies of your medical records.
8. Document everything.
9. Ask your physician to advocate for your treatment.
10. Be prepared to fight. Don’t worry about being “nice” or pleasing people. You are fighting for your life.
The full text of the 10 tips and other information, such as recent state and federal legislation regarding breast cancer rights, can be found at www.abanet.org/women. This site also provides a list of organizations nationwide that will help women with breast cancer find pro bono legal services.
Chicago-area breast cancer patients with questions can contact the young lawyers section of the Chicago Bar Association at 312-554-2000 for information.