How Can I Pay for Cancer Treatment With No Insurance?
First off, realize you're not alone; 45 million Americans have no health insurance. While it makes getting treatment more difficult, lack of insurance doesn't mean you can't get treated. But you'll need to be proactive about getting healthcare, since you won't have the safety net of an insurance company and primary care doctor overseeing your treatment. Keep this mantra in mind: Your job is to get better, and to do that you need to obtain the best healthcare you can get, using the resources you have.
The first thing you need to do is find out what hospitals and medical centers provide treatment to the uninsured in your area. Every region has hospitals operated by state and local government (public hospitals) as well as some nonprofit hospitals that provide a safety net for anyone who needs care, regardless of ability to pay.
Start by contacting your local health department (in the government pages of your phone book or on the Internet) to ask what public health services are offered in your community. But don't stop there; call your local hospital and ask to speak with a social worker. Ask for information about any "charity care" or "indigent care" programs. Hospital social workers are usually the most knowledgeable about sources of support in your community.
It's also important to research hospitals that are required to provide treatment under the Hill-Burton Hospital Program. Hospitals that receive construction funds from the federal government must provide some services to cancer patients who can't afford to pay for their care. Approximately 300 hospitals take part in this program. Call (800) 638-0742 to find the closest participating hospital.
In addition, the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service can direct you to local programs as well. For more information, go to www.cancer.gov or call (800)-422-6237.
If you have breast or cervical cancer, there are additional resources mandated under the Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Act of 2000. This legislation extended Medicaid coverage for women who have been screened and diagnosed through the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program in states that have agreed to provide this service. For more information, go to www.cdc.gov/cancer/nbccedp/index.htm or call (888) 842-6355.
This is a common problem, as the previous expert has stated. There is another option available that many people may not know about. Your Life Insurance Policy can be a valuable asset to you at this time.
In many cases, people find themselves struggling to pay for the appropriate care. If you have a life insurance policy, this does not have to be the case for you. There are companies that do a complete evaluation of your life insurance policy to let you know of all your options and will also determine the value or purchasable price for this asset. In many cases, as long as you are working with a Funder, this is no cost to you. Your policy is property that you own, just like your car or your house. You make payments to car and you make payments to your life insurance policy, making it available for a cash settlement.
If you feel you would like to research this option, I am an expert in this field and would be more than happy to assist you in this important financial decision.
Kevin Swan
800-542-9513
kevinswan@sellyourinsurance.com
The indigent care programs usually have a ceiling on your income. Those who are the "working poor" (have a decent job to live on but no insurance) are the ones who need to know where to go to get treatment.
I was very fortunate that I have breast cancer, not something else. In Colorado, there are funded programs to treat women with breast cancer, but not for other types. So I know several people who are struggling to get treatment and going broke trying to pay for it, while I have the blessing of having state coverage. So my question is, where do the working people with no insurance go for help paying for cancer treatments?
