Anna Jobsz has been denied insurance to get her ovaries removed to prevent cancer. The Auckland mum underwent a double mastectomy in 2016.

Just six days before Auckland mum Anna Jobsz was due to have her ovaries removed she was told her insurer wouldn't pay.

Now the mother-of-one and PR professional must fork out $15,000 for private fees or postpone the potentially life-saving surgery.

Jobsz, 38, has the BRCA2 gene which dramatically increased her chances of getting breast or ovarian cancer.

Chris McKeen/Stuff Anna Jobsz plans to have her ovaries removed after being diagnosed with the BRCA gene, which causes a higher risk of ovarian cancer.

She already underwent a double mastectomy in 2016, and now wanted her ovaries removed as a preventative measure.

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"They don't know whether there's cancer in my ovaries right now," Jobsz said.

"Before my mastectomy they could tell me I was cancer-free but with ovarian cancer they can't."

However, her latest operation has been declined because the double mastectomy pushed her over the claim limit of $40,000 for preventative operations.

Jobsz has been insured with Southern Cross Insurance since 2001, with a $120 monthly premium. The plan originally provided unlimited surgical treatment for cancer.

In 2016 Southern Cross created the cap of between $30,000 and $50,000 per lifetime, depending on the member's plan, for preventative operations.

The surgery to remove her ovaries was deemed "preventative" because it was not known if she had cancer of her ovaries.

"Anyone with BRCA requires more than one operation, so that amount covers hardly anything," Jobsz said.

"I signed my policy in early 2000's for unlimited surgical cover and I've been paying the full amount on my policy for many years. Their new rules don't seem fair."

Without insurance, Jobsz could not afford the $15,000 surgery and would have to go public. This could take up to a year.

"There's no backstop for me, it's a horrible position to be in, they're asking me to prove I have cancer in my ovaries."

ANNA JOBSZ/INSTAGRAM Jobsz has already had a double mastectomy.

​Jobsz said she spent a lot of time worrying about her son, who recently turned five, and what his future would look like.

"I worry about it all the time, I need to be here to take care of him.

"It's something I think about every night before I go to sleep."

Her doctor submitted her insurance claim form about three weeks ago, but the cover was declined less than a week before the surgery, she said.

Supplied/Anna Jobsz Jobsz with her five-year-old son, Carlo.

Southern Cross Health Society chief marketing officer Chris Watney said he was aware Jobsz's claim had been declined.

"The Society recognised the wish for members to have access to surgeries to prevent the development of cancer in people at high risk of developing the disease," he said.

"The allowance is not intended to cover the full cost of multiple preventative surgeries, but rather provide a contribution."

Once the lifetime allowance was reached, any further procedures would not be funded, Watney said.

"This would place too much of a burden of cost on the collective membership of our society - raising premiums significantly."

For Jobsz, the BRCA2 gene came from her father's side where there was a strong presence of cancer in the breast, ovary and stomach.

Both her grandmothers were diagnosed with cancer, and her father also died from cancer when he was 39.

It wasn't until her uncle was diagnosed with male breast cancer her suspicions were confirmed about having the gene.

Having her ovaries removed would cause infertility, but Jobsz said she needed to focus on the positive side of things.

She started a blog following her diagnosis to discuss her feelings and bring awareness to the issue.

"It is really scary to deal with knowing my risk of ovarian cancer is so high, and I'm not the only one dealing with this."

Anna Jobsz Jobsz has found it hard to juggle motherhood with recovering from surgery.

AUT lecturer Susan Mahon understood the struggle Jobsz faced. She found she carried the BRCA gene two years ago.

"I had my ovaries out a week after being tested, before I even had a mastectomy, and they found a large high-grade serous carcinoma in my right ovary."

Mahon said she had been "lucky" her ovaries were removed so early, before she reached the $40,000 cap.

"If I had gone public and waited six months to go through the system I would be dead."

Jobsz said she was considering taking her case to the Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman.

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