Help for cancer patients to pay bills
You have been diagnosed with cancer. Your head is spinning. Your emotions are running the gamut. Your future is right now.
Before talking with anyone regarding your health care, prepare for the meeting. Now is the time to focus on what lies ahead. You will have questions; write down your questions, so you do not forget them. Use your smartphone to record the meeting (and take notes to remind yourself of the essential parts of the discussion). This is your time to ask questions; do not be ashamed to ask follow-up questions or ask for a clear explanation.
Consider a second opinion. You have the right to have another doctor or healthcare specialist give their advice. No matter what you are told, dig into the information and research what they are telling you.
If you are considering integrative or natural cancer treatments, understand that traditional insurance most likely will not cover the cost. However, there are several different ways to fund cancer treatments:
Selling a Life Insurance Policy
This option allows a patient to receive a percentage of the face value of their policy. The team at LifeGuide Partners can answer questions regarding your policy and its value.
Crowd Funding
If you’re on social media, you’ve seen these type fund-raisers. Options like Freely Funded or GoFundMe can help raise money for medical treatments.
Personal Financing
CareCredit specializes in healthcare loans (including interest-free options) for co-payments and treatment.
Health Share Networks
Medi-Share, Samaritan Ministries, and Christian Healthcare Ministries are popular options. People “share” in covering other members’ healthcare costs.
- https://mychristiancare.org/medi-share/
- https://samaritanministries.org/
- https://www.chministries.org/
Home Mortgage
Depending on your financial situation and needs, consider a second mortgage on your home. You may even want to consider selling your home.
That’s five viable options to help pay for your cancer treatment. Choose which best suits your needs. If necessary, use all five! … You also may need someone to bounce off ideas or concerns – especially if your treatment schedule is going to affect your work schedule.
Costs Beyond Primary Treatment
Deciding which cancer treatment to pursue is your primary focus. But there are other costs associated with getting well. If you need help navigating the waters, support is available:
The Patient Advocate Foundation provides patients with arbitration, negotiation, and mediation for access to care, medical debt, and job retention. PAF provides patient services which eliminate obstacles in access to quality healthcare – case management assistance, a co-pay relief program, a national financial resources directory, and financial aid.
The Patient Access Network Foundation focused on ensuring underinsured patients with life-threatening, chronic, and rare diseases get financial assistance. PAN uses individual and corporate donations to offer a dependable way for patients to cover out-of-pocket costs.
There also are other expenses that you may not be thinking about right now. Will you have to travel to see an integrative or natural healthcare professional? Will you need overnight accommodations (or several days)? If you’re on the road – fuel and meals, just to name a couple of necessities.
Also, you most likely will have a prescription or supplements. If so, the Partnership for Prescription Assistance will help qualifying patients without prescription drug coverage get the medicines they need for free or nearly free. The PPA will help you find the program that’s right for you, free of charge.
Regardless of how you choose to fight cancer, there will be costs. It is paramount that you are prepared for the financial issues that will arise. Consider all the options available to you, including your life insurance policy. After all, the life you’re living is the one that matters most.