Would you know if you had a problem with your gallbladder? Unless you have either had a problem before, likely a gallstone, or have an extensive knowledge of the gallbladder, you may not know what is causing your pain and discomfort. For many people the gallbladder is simply out of sight and out of mind. However, gallbladder disease is very common with as many as 500,000 people undergoing surgery to have their gallbladder removed every year.

Who is at risk?

When Willard Koch, 68, and his wife Linda, 66, were visiting their local senior community center one day in the fall of 2012, as they did three times a week, they noticed an announcement for a Medicare presentation coming up. Willard wasn’t particularly happy with their current health insurance provider, and thought learning more about the Lovelace Medicare Plan would be worth their time.

They liked what they heard, and joined in November during the open enrollment period. “What I was really looking for was a hospital and service…I could go and get it all,” Willard explains.

Lethargic and depressed, Dana Hughes says she would often spend up to three weeks on the sofa when her symptoms were at their worst. Suffering from abnormal uterine bleeding, the 33 year old knew her hormonal imbalance and severe blood loss was taking a toll. “My life had stopped.”