Careers and Insurance

CF at work

Choosing a career and finding a job are big steps. You’ll have to take many things into consideration, including your interests, ability to handle stress and health care needs. As a person with CF, you probably have some additional challenges to work through. From choosing a career, to interviewing and starting a new job, you’ll have to handle a number of issues.

Choosing a career

Find out what the working environment is like. The good news is that you may have the power to limit your exposure to things that may be harmful. You can do this by choosing a work environment that is:

• Less likely to be dusty, like an office

• Primarily filled with adults and limits exposure to children

• At an altitude you're comfortable with

[Back to top]

Interviewing

Be prepared for your interview and your confidence will shine through. Here are some ways to prepare:

• Get plenty of rest

• Clear out airway mucus beforehand

• Eat well and take your enzymes

• Keep CF to yourself, if you choose

• Organize a list of references, and if you’d like, ask your references to keep the fact that you have CF private

[Back to top]

Starting a new job

Before accepting a job, you’ll need to make sure they offer adequate medical insurance. Here are some things to consider:

• Is your doctor covered by their plan?

• If hospitalized, does their plan allow you stay in the hospital of your choice?

• Does their plan require you to get referrals for specialists? If so, you will need to find a doctor covered by their plan that will give you referrals every time you need to visit your CF Care Team

• How much is your co-pay for every time you see a doctor?

• What is your deductible? Is there a yearly amount that must be paid before their plan helps with costs? Is it a set dollar amount (and how much) or is it a percentage?

• Is there a maximum amount (called a cap) that you would have to pay every year? Once you meet that cap, insurance should pay for the rest

• Does your employer offer a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) as part of your benefits package? Most large companies do. An FSA can allow you to set aside pre-tax dollars to pay for additional medical expenses not covered by your health insurance. Because the FSA uses pre-tax money, you could cut out-of-pocket expenditures substantially

Be informed about the company's insurance plan. Make sure you know about claims, service authorization, limits and costs. Check the plan’s website to see if your medications are covered, and, if not, how you can request these medications.

[Back to top]