@drelisabethpotter: The timing of your diagnosis shouldn’t decide your breast reconstruction but for too many patients, it does. I just saw a patient who had a mastectomy a few weeks ago and a tissue expander placed. She’s self-employed and already met her $10,000 deductible this year. That means any surgery she does before December will be covered but if her next procedure happens after January 1st, she’ll have to pay another $10,000 out-of-pocket when her deductible resets. Because of that, she told me she can’t afford to wait and properly stretch her skin for the best reconstructive result. Instead, she wants to finish surgery before the end of the year, even if that means living with smaller, uneven breasts. So the timing of her cancer diagnosis, just a few months before the end of the year is literally determining the size and shape of her reconstruction. That’s not a medical decision. That’s an insurance decision. And as deductibles and premiums continue to rise, more and more patients are being forced to make choice s like this. We can and must do better.

Dr. Elisabeth Potter

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Region: US

Friday 10 October 2025 20:06:19 GMT