Guaranteed Healthcare

Kim Kutcher's story is all to familiar for me and my husband. I'm 41 years old and I have been off of work for 5 years due to degenerative disc disease in two lumbar discs. After all of the conservative treatments have failed, I was told in 2004 that an artificial disc replacement was the only chance of not making things worse. I have actually 3 discs that are involved, except one of them isn't causing any problems. One of the many surgeons I have seen went as far as saying he would not do a fusion surgery on me, because I had a 60% chance of ending up worse. Both lower discs (L4-L5, L5-S1) are causing severe pain and neurological problems in both legs. Then I have 2 discs that are good and then the final bad one. If fusion is done on the two lower discs, the two good ones will fail and I will have to undergo a surgery that will leave me totally rigid.

Blue Cross is my husband's insurance and then I have Medicare as secondary. The surgeon that I'm seeing now, has told me that they have not had any luck getting Blue Cross to pay for the artificial disk replacement and that I need to wait until Blue Cross changes it's position or I get other insurance.

I have been waiting since 2004 and since then I have had several medical problems emerge including gaining weight that would prevent me from having the artificial disk replacement done today. I have lost 35 lbs and I'm still losing but the other problems that have emerged have to be dealt with before I could undergo the surgery. They have also made any surgery very risky.

I was an active adult, riding and showing horses most of my life. I enjoyed camping and hiking and going to Disneyland. I struggled through college, taking more years that it should, but I got my BS degree in Management Information Systems. I enjoyed my work and now, may never be able to do that type of work again, let alone any job. Although I'm able to walk I'm on the last type of oral medication before I will have to have a pain pump inserted.

This is not what I bargained for and I blame Blue Cross for everything I have lost.