Fans of Teen Mom 2 watched this week as Leah Messer discussed the possibility of having to undergo surgery for a benign tumor in her breast and was concerned about the cost since she doesn’t have insurance, as well as the possibility of having to take painkillers after the procedure.
When fans called her out for it, she responded.
During the first episode this season, viewers watched as Leah revealed her cancer scare after finding a lump in her breast. Doctors determined it was benign, but it needed to be monitored and possibly biopsied.
During the scene in the episode, Leah sat down to talk with her sister, Victoria and discussed how she was “scared” to undergo the procedure to remove the mass, which doctors told her could possibly turn cancerous in the future.
Leah explained to Victoria that surgery was a possible treatment
During the scene, Leah explained to her sister that doctors wanted to continue to monitor her tumor, and that a surgical removal was a possibility. Leah was prescribed painkiller medication after her last surgery, to which she became addicted, and was worried she’d need to be prescribed narcotics for the procedure.
The 29-year-old mom of three recently admitted that seeking treatment in rehab for her addiction made her a better parent.
She also revealed to Victoria that she didn’t have medical insurance and often didn’t think about it, since her girls all had their own medical coverage through their dads.
Fans of the show reacted to Leah’s comments about not having medical insurance and potentially being prescribed painkillers, and she responded
One fan of the commented, “No health insurance ? time get get a real job with benefits.”
One fan thought Leah needed to explore her options and noted that painkillers aren’t prescribed aren’t prescribed for biopsies, “Why doesn’t she get a biopsy? They don’t give painkillers for a simple biopsy snd that way they’d know what kind of tumor it is. Also I can’t believe she doesn’t have health insurance! I think Leah is really brave for filming this and reminding young women how serious it is to check their breasts for lumps! I hope Leah is doing well.”
More fans commented about Leah not having insurance, but pointed out that she can afford an expensive car and could afford medical coverage
“MTV…really knows how to edit …steps out of a suburban $70,000 vehicle & have no health insurance. Seriously go get checked out, get a biopsy, it’s worst being in the dark, at least you have an idea,” said another fan of the show.
Another fan felt that Leah could afford insurance with her salary and doesn’t need narcotics for pain: “She has money that she could afford insurance or even the surgery out of pocket I’m sure. She also doesn’t have to have narcotics for pain meds. Yeah they are stronger but you don’t need them.”
Leah read the fans’ comments and replied with an explanation
Leah told her followers in her Instagram stories that she saw their comments and offered an explanation for why she doesn’t have health insurance, claiming that it “was not a topic discussed” in her household growing up in a “low income family.”
Leah told her 2.4 million followers, “I am seeing everyone’s comments on my segments from the episode regarding health insurance and I wanted to address it. Growing up, health insurance was not a topic discussed in my household.”
“Coming from a low income family, I was on state insurance until I got married and then was picked up on my then husband’s insurance. I never had to learn about it or even think about it for that matter. After my second divorce, I knew my medical bills were piling up.”
Leah explained to fans that she lacked ‘knowledge and education’ when it came to health insurance but has since secured coverage
Leah continued her explanation in another Instagram story slide, blaming “lack of knowledge and education” for not having insurance, and hoped that others learned from her experience.
In her second story, Leah continued her explanation, saying, “Due to my lack of knowledge and education regarding health insurance, I believed the only way to be covered was under your parents, your spouse or by certain jobs. None of the above applied to me, so I figured I would just see the doctor less to reduce my medical expenses.”
“Luckily, I became educated by those around me and was able to secure my own insurance. I hope people out there learn through what I went through and understand that there are options and resources out there if you find yourself in need of coverage but don’t know where to start.”
Leah used her health scare as a way to educate her three daughters on the importance of women’s health but admitted to feeling “fearful” filming the scene.
Teen Mom 2 airs on Tuesdays at 8/7c on MTV.
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