FAQ from Facebook Page
Questions/Comments from Patients that have appeared on Facebook:
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Q: I dont know where to go from here. Dr Woodroof has taken care of me since I had breast cancer. I am at a loss.
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You can still come to Kentucky Breast Care… and we encourage you to make your voice heard about Anthem's tactics… we believe that our patients’ voices can create better insurance options for the future. You can post your frustration with Anthem and leverage social media here: Anthem Denies Patients Access to Subspecialized Care!
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FYI- Beyond the screening mammogram… Your out-of-pocket cost via Kentucky Breast Care is still less than many alternatives.
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Q: I spoke to an insurance agent after hearing my federal anthem will not be accepted after December 1. Agent says their contract still shows "active" with no end date. The agent did tell me to go off your email about discontinuation and that I would need to find a provider in my network. I am absolutely sick about this.
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There are many different variations of Anthem insurance… if the agent is willing to confirm in writing that you can still come to KBC and they will reimburse you… you should be OK… (But I would get it in writing.)
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Remember- you can always come to us as an “out of network” patient too…
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FYI- on this webpage there are many ways to voice your concerns to Anthem and or state management contract people.
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Q: Oh no, this is the only place I feel comfortable and been coming here a few years. I’m almost 50 and this discourages me from getting mammograms. I guess I’ll have to pay out of pocket.
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if you can… You can always switch insurance to a different provider… We do not have this issue with any other insurance provider.
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Q: This is terrible. Even though I work for a separate program, we are still part of the University of Kentucky and under its insurance plan. There is no way to switch from Anthem. But, regardless of my personal situation, I worry that this may cause many of your other patients to not be screened and diagnosed early enough if they DO develop cancer. I wonder how many other “out of network” breast care facilities around the state will have patients in the same situation?
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We hope that people continue to get their screening mammograms (whether “in or out of network”) with a breast fellowship trained radiologist, even if they have to drive a long way.
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An analogy that I thought about recently was if I would let any general aviation pilot fly a 747… Or would I want my pilot to be trained on the 747 before I ride along. To me…it would be worth it to know for sure…to avoid worrying. 
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We know that many of our patients are stuck with Anthem… we encourage them to apply pressure to Anthem… These tools are available on this webpage
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Anthem is a private company that paid its CEO approximately $15 million last year in salary… I am sure that the CEO is motivated to keep its customers.
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Q: Are you choosing to not accept them because of their low reimbursement rates? I’ve voiced my concerns with them previously because of this and I was afraid KBC would end their contract?
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Yes KBC has endured Anthem’s monopoly pricing for over three years, reimbursing us approximately 40% less than the average of other insurance payors. We have not raised our rates since before Covid started (nor incorporated inflation from the last few years)… but Anthem has.
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It is financially unsustainable for us as a sub-specialty clinic to invest in the high technology equipment that we have in order to be reimbursed so low.
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All that being said… Anthem does reimburse other KY facilities higher (even though most don’t have a Breast Fellowship-Trained Radiologist).
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What makes the least amount of sense is that if a patient was to transfer to an “in network” hospital, Anthem would be reimbursing that hospital higher than KBC… so Anthem (as well as the State of Kentucky) is going to be paying more for services from a less-trained general radiologist.
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We have found hundreds of cancers that general radiologists miss… and when you miss a cancer… not only may it cost a life… it will cost a lot more money to remove the cancer in the later stages.
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Because this makes no sense... it makes you wonder what is going on…
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KBC is not only taking a stand against Anthem’s bullying tactics… we are trying to help Anthem customers hold Anthem accountable.
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