An article published in USA Today this past Wednesday mentions CancerCare in an examination of escalating costs of cancer treatment.
The costs of treatment and care for a person with cancer have skyrocketed in recent years, with overall spending in the U.S. now exceeding $90 billion. It is impossible to provide an estimate of the “average” cost of cancer treatment, as hundreds of different diagnoses and their respective costs are too extreme to yield an accurate median.
The only certainty is, cancer is an extremely expensive illness to treat. Charitable organizations such as CancerCare provide financial help to thousands of people per year but are not the total solution to the financial hardships people with cancer too often face.
We are optimistic that this weekend’s vote on health care reform will spark a change towards more comprehensive coverage, and help to ease the already-tremendous financial burden of a cancer diagnosis on individuals and families.
For more than 60 years, CancerCare has provided financial assistance to help with some types of costs, including transportation, homecare, childcare, and pain medication. Our social workers and case managers are knowledgeable about financial issues, and will work closely with you to get you the help you need.
The CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation was created in 2007 to help people with health insurance who are struggling to cover their treatment co-payments. Qualified individuals with certain diagnoses may receive up to $10,000 per year in co-payment assistance.
CancerCare is a member of the Cancer Financial Assistance Coalition (CFAC), a coalition of organizations that help cancer patients manage their financial challenges. We encourage you to use the coalition’s resource directory to find financial resources in your community.
To learn more about managing the cost of cancer treatment, please visit the ASCO Cancer Foundation’s financial assistance section of their website.
Read the full USA Today article here.
For the first time, cancer is killing more Americans under 85 than heart disease. Tens of millions of people will now have access to coverage but how will this affect cancer patients? The only cancer clinic in Selma, Alabama and a breast cancer practice in Gainesville, Florida are the latest in a total of at least 30 community cancer clinics closed over the past several months due to severe cuts in Medicare reimbursement for cancer care. This is a huge issue that is not being addressed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9_2ziGZ3Qg&feature=player_embedded#
Please visit http://www.communityoncology.org/coa-petition/ to help stop these devastating cuts to cancer care!