Learn from my experience

[no_hypocrisy]

I'm postmenopausal. My GYN felt a small discreet lump in my breast that I didn't feel. The mammos were negative/normal. An ultrasound found the small nodule. I was referred to get a follow-up from a breast specialist who did her own ultrasound to confirm the reading. The breast center then did a tissue biopsy to confirm that it's a non-cancerous nodule. It didn't hurt and they left a marker where the nodule is so they can follow it in the coming years.

Don't wait. If you haven't seen your GYN lately, make an appointment today. Even if you don't have a family history of breast cancer or a remote one. You can better control the circumstances if you monitor your health and act quickly if something is found.

And yes, I owe SO MUCH to the ACA for allowing me to afford my healthcare. You shouldn't have to choose between health and death.

[wishstar]

1. The preventative emphasis of insurance paying for screenings and annual testing is wonderful

I have a Blue Cross plan not on ACA, but has same general rules as ACA, that pays the full cost for screenings including colonoscopies (they find I have multiple precancerous polyps each time). If I hadn't had the first screening 8 years ago in my early 50's because my doctor recommended and it was free, I would probably have colon cancer by now since they found a huge polyp then along with smaller ones and have since removed subsequent polyps every 3 years. Problem is genetic- lifelong habits of little to no alcohol or red meat and eat lots of fruits and veggies, exercise a lot etc. But my mom died of colon cancer after never being screened until it was too late. I had encouraged her for several years to be screened but she delayed too long. Losing such a warm and funny, vibrant and caring person who did so much for her family and community has been hard.

These colonoscopies removing polyps can cost thousand of dollars without insurance.

A friend signed up last year for ACA after being in excruciating facial and jaw pain from what they discovered was squamous cell cancer growth that he had postponed removing due to no insurance and no financial assets. It required tens of thousands of dollars of surgery and reconstruction as the growth had spread so far near his eye and jaw. So much trauma and expense would have been avoided if he had insurance before that provided routine yearly screenings and affordable removal of such skin growths early on.