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Cancer Costs

Cancer patients commonly pay for cancer costs through private health insurance or through Medicare Part B. However, insurance plans do not always cover the entire cost of chemotherapy. That is why it is important to find out which cancer costs you are responsible for.

Find out exact treatments and cost

First, ask your doctor about what drugs you will need, how long you will need them, how they will be administered and whether they will be administered in a hospital or in an outpatient facility.

Then, whether if you are covered by an individual or group health insurance plan, it is important to find out exactly what chemotherapy treatments and other cancer costs your plan will pay for. Some plans cover only standard types of treatment and do not pay for "investigational therapies."

Plans also vary widely on the amount you are required to pay before your coverage starts (your deductible). Some plans pay for 30 days in the hospital; others cover longer stays. Most plans have limits on what they pay toward treatment for specific health problems on an annual or lifetime basis. Some plans cover certain home care services, while others do not. Different plans pay different percentages of the costs of various services.

Continue to talk to your insurance company, even if it has initially denied a claim or indicated that it will not pay for your treatment. If your doctor can provide evidence that your treatment is effective for your type of cancer, your insurance company may eventually agree to pay your cancer costs.

Indigent Patient Programs

Most pharmaceutical companies have programs to provide some patients with free or almost free drugs. The drug companies call these "indigent patient" program, but you don't have to be indigent or broke to participate. Find out from your doctor what companies make the drugs she has prescribed for you. Then call or email those companies, requesting to receive those drugs through the indigent patient program.

Talk to you employer

If you are lucky to have a job that provides health insurance, including cancer insurance, ask your employer about assistance plans. You may be able to borrow money against a retirement plan, utilize extra sick days or qualify for special employee-only loans or benefits.

Medicaid

It is also important to find out if you are eligible for Medicaid because some people in financial distress can get this government service to pay for chemotherapy and other cancer costs. To find this out, contact your local social services office or log onto to www.socialsecurity.gov.

Clinical Trials

It is also a good idea to investigate clinical trials. These trials test the newest types of cancer care and are occasionally free. However, please understand that if there are any costs from the trials, your insurance company may not cover them.

Protect Yourself From the High Cost of Cancer

According to the recent studies, American men have a 44% chance of developing cancer while the chances for women are about 37%. The general risk of developing colon cancer in the United States is about 6%. For this reason, it's important for everyone, particularly people above the age of 50 years, to go for routine screening.

Whether discovered early or late, cancer is a debilitating disease due to the care, costs and the mental and physical trauma involved. Many times the cost of treatment leaves the patient in heavy financial distress.

Most insurance plans do not cover the total cost of the treatment, which leaves the patient and their family in a lurch. These days people have started purchasing supplemental cancer insurance that can help in covering otherwise uninsured expenses related to cancer illness. If you would like to learn more about supplemental cancer insurance you can click here.

Written by Steve Goldner - 3/9/09

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