Dr. Borinstein is a pediatric oncologist who specializes in taking care of children, teenagers and young adults with cancer. He sees patients from across the state and from all walks of life.
“I love my job,” Dr. Borinstein said. “We are able to cure the majority of the children and teenagers we treat for cancer.” But these therapies can be very expensive and very long, with the course of treatments costing as much as $500,000 to $1,000,000. Many of his patients’ parents work hard, sometimes at multiple jobs, but their employers don’t offer health insurance.
Fortunately, TennCare Medicaid covers about half the children that Dr. Borinstein sees and makes it possible for Dr. Borinstein and his colleagues to cure cancer for so many of their patients. Regardless of whether their patients have Medicaid or private insurance, each patient gets the same access to care. “I will often encounter families from the nicest neighborhoods in Nashville. But then, I also take care of patients who really have no resources whatsoever. And the great thing is that we can treat those patients exactly the same.”