Support Maureen's Life-Changing Surgery

Greetings!

We are a professional couple facing a medical nightmare without help from our insurance company. My wife has struggled for nearly 30 years with a condition that causes tremendous pain. During a procedure for an unrelated issue, the surgeon discovered the probable source of the pain. An outpatient procedure could, according to numerous clinical trials, reduce or end her pain.

The procedure is established enough that Medicare, Medicaid, and all but one Washington insurance provider will cover it. Our insurance is the outlier, or I would not be writing now.

We have exhausted all our appeals, with support from several medical specialists, the insurance commissioner’s office, as well as nearly 500 pages of clinical support. One issue that comes up and can’t be discounted is that men receive this treatment far more often than women.

One of the experts in this surgery has offered to perform the procedure in her office for $8,000. The doctor who diagnosed her works at the University of Washington hospital, where the cost of an operating room alone is $97,000. Obviously, we are looking at the far less expensive option. My wife will also need at least a week off work to recover, so I’m asking for a portion of her lost wages.

I have written on the subject of women’s health and the institutional bias in favor of men’s medical issues. Seeing it play out so blatantly in my wife’s medical care is beyond devastating.

We have devoted considerable personal funds to the search for the source of her pain and its management. It will take us a long time to gather the funds we need for this procedure. As it would be beneficial to do this procedure sooner rather than later, for reasons I won’t go into, my wife has given me permission to start a medical fund.

If you know my wife, you know that she is careful with her health and with her money. The cause of her pain is genetic and fairly rare, but enough people have been treated for it that it’s shameful that one insurance company would dig in its heels and refuse to follow established protocol.

If you can help us with a donation or a share, we would be grateful. Thank you for your consideration in helping to end this nightmare.