Diana reached the maximum coverage limit through her insurance before she had won her battle with breast cancer.  Despite an earlier denial of free treatment/Medicaid through PA’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention Treatment Program because she had sufficient health insurance at the time, the PBCC encouraged her to apply again. She was approved for the program due to her “underinsured” status, and received coverage for her medical needs.

The PBCC advocates for all women and their families across PA. Our legislative victories have created changes that provide mammograms for uninsured women, insurance coverage for reconstructive surgery after a mastectomy, free treatment for breast cancer for uninsured and underinsured women, and funding for PA researchers working to find a cure. We are also here to advocate for women who might otherwise fall through the cracks in the health care system, who don’t know about available resources or how to access them.

Every day we hear from women who need guidance about how to navigate their way through an overwhelming maze of obstacles to medical care. Whenever we pick up the phone we know the caller might be a woman whose insurance company doesn’t want to cover the procedure that her doctor wants her to have. Or maybe her job is in jeopardy if she has to take time off from work for treatment. Or she has no health insurance and doesn’t know there are programs for which she might qualify.

Some days we are providing information about national, state, or local agencies that will provide the service she needs. Often we are explaining a complicated program in a way that makes it seem less confusing. Always, we can be a reassuring voice providing a personal touch in a world of voice mail and computer-generated phone responses.

If you or someone you know is facing an obstacle to their care that the PBCC may be able to help you overcome, please contact our Patient Advocate, Dolores Magro at Dolores@PABreastCancer.org.