Copperas Cove woman battling cancer, caught in health insurance red tape
By BRITTANY FHOLER
Cove Leader-Press
A Copperas Cove woman who learned in September she has breast cancer still has not yet begun treatment, although she has health insurance.
Marcy Moreno was diagnosed in September with breast cancer following a visit to the doctor in August. Since that diagnosis, Moreno has gone through tests, exams, biopsies and more.
When it came to putting together a treatment plan and moving forward with chemotherapy, Moreno was told by a financial counselor at Baylor Scott & White that her insurance would not cover two of the three drugs for her chemotherapy.
Three of the medications would cost her around $31,000, Moreno said.
She said she was told by the financial counselor that her insurance wouldn’t cover two of the medications. But due to the type of cancer she has, these medications are the best way to treat it, she added.
Moreno’s sister-in-law, Ashley Moreno, started a GoFundMe last week, and within five days, 43 donors had raised $3,985 of the $61,000 goal. The GoFundMe says that on October 7, “Marcy was denied the necessary chemotherapy because she could not afford to pay more than $10,000 per treatment, or a total of $61,000.”
Moreno said she was really surprised that so many people had donated. She added that she was ecstatic, but she knew it was a long ways until the goal would be met.
Moreno connected with Pink Warrior Angels founder Julie Moser, who helped organize a fundraiser at Raising Cane’s and by being a person who has been through this breast cancer journey herself.
Moreno later found out that it was a coding error that led to her treatment plan being denied, and that her insurance will, in fact, cover her treatment, according to Moser. The insurance company usually processes treatments within five days.
However, each time Moreno called Baylor Scott & White, she was told that it has been processed, but when she calls her health insurance provider, they claim it has not been processed by the hospital. Meanwhile, treatment could not be started until Moreno fronts some of the money.
“On top of being completely emotional and concerned that three weeks have passed and feels the tumor has grown, she still has not started treatments to shrink the tumor to do her surgery to remove it,” Moser added.
Moreno received some financial aid to offset the cost of her chemo drugs, in the amount of about $50,000, but she said she was still worried about the cost of everything else.
“I’m a school nurse. I don’t make much money. I have to work through this process, just to keep my insurance and it’s going to be a tough road, especially having to work with sick babies at my school,” Moreno said. “I know my doctor said he didn’t want me to work, but I have to work. I can’t afford not to work.”
Moreno said that she reached out to other cancer organizations with programs for financial assistance, but many of the programs base their assistance on income, and Moreno said she and her husband, who drives a truck, make too much money to be considered for assistance.
Moreno said she was scared, waiting for her treatment to be approved. Since her diagnosis, the cancer has already tripled in size and needs to be shrunk in order for Moreno to have it surgically removed.
“I mean, it’s a scary road, not knowing what the future’s going to hold,” Moreno said. “I’m scared to death. I do have my faith, and I do believe God is going to heal this, but you know, God is giving man that medical knowledge to help you, and it’s right there and because of insurance, I don’t know what my future is.”
Pink Warrior Angels of Texas is holding a fundraiser Tuesday at Raising Cane’s for Moreno.
The fundraiser will be Tuesday, October 15, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and people can stop by at 6:30 p.m. to meet Marcy and drop off any other donations for her.
Moreno’s GoFundMe campaign can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/f/1s0vv7cemo?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=cop....