Introduction:
All of our programming at Hope Connections for Cancer Support is free, but we know that paying for care and dealing with employment and other issues can increase your stress. Below is useful information on these topics.
Click here to view our main Resource Page, for support and other resources.
There are a variety of financial and legal resources available based on your type of need. This guide is designed to help you navigate complicated websites more easily by pointing out where to go for help with your specific question or need and where to go within a given website to find the information you are seeking. If you are interested in just the basics within a topic, we’ve marked those sections with a {Look Here First} notice.
There is a separate chart at the bottom of the page, listing places where you can receive one-on-one counseling on various topics.
*Quick Review Before Getting Started: A guide to using the internet
If you are overwhelmed by using the internet on your own, click here. These are short videos that teach people how to use the internet and search for healthcare resources. Digitally Empowered™ was created by the Patient Empowerment Network and made possible with the support and collaboration of Pfizer Oncology. These videos are very user-friendly and designed for people with cancer, to empower you to use the web as a tool.
I. Financial Assistance: Includes such items as co-pay, travel, housing, caregiving, etc.
Let’s start with financial assistance for your treatment. These resources deal with funding for co-pays, medication, transportation, education, and everyday life. Some may be restricted based on disease group, location, income, and other factors. Fund availability may vary around the year.
Searchable Financial Resource Databases {Look Here First}
- Cancer Care
- Cancer Financial Assistance Coalition (CFAC)
- A searchable database based on zip code, disease type, etc.
- Family Reach
- Financial assistance for cancer patients for living expenses
- Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF)
- Based on location, age, disease, and type of help needed (uninsured or underinsured)
Medication
- Medicine Assistance Tool
- Search engine to find biopharma sponsored payment of medications, in addition to other topics related to paying for medicine
- Triage Cancer Discount Card
Transportation
- American Cancer Society®: Road to Recovery
- CancerCare®
- Provides a list of various transportation assistance programs from other organizations
Organization Sponsored Funds
- Healthwell Foundation
- Prescription copays, health insurance premiums, deductibles and coinsurance, Pediatric treatment costs, Travel costs
- Available funds based on disease
- Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS)
- Co-pay assistance, travel, urgent need, etc for those with blood cancer
- Patient Advocate Foundation
- Patient Advocate Network
Other
- Cancer.net
- Lists national and local resources for finding financial assistance
II. Understanding Insurance {Look Here First}
- American Cancer Society
- Great “Getting Started” information on various insurance-related topics
- Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS)
- Nerd Wallet
- Good article on some of the fundamentals of choosing a plan/getting started
- Patient Advocate
- Triage Center
- A variety of short, animated videos and other types of resources on insurance basics
Language of Insurance
- Patient Advocate
- Understanding Explanation of Benefits (EOB), a critical part to understanding your insurance claims
Employer-Sponsored Insurance
How to enroll in Health Insurance Marketplace
- HealthCare.gov
- District of Columbia
- Maryland
- Virginia
- Triage Cancer
Insurance For The Self-Employed
Medicare
- Triage Cancer {Look Here First}
- Social Security Administration
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Medicare.Gov
Medicaid/CHIP
- General Information {Look Here First}
- For Our General Area
Claims Appeals
- Triage Cancer
- Cancer Legal Resource Center (CLRC)
- Patient Advocate Foundation
- Consumer Assistance Program
- General Information
- Our General Area
III. Legal
Disability And Other Federal/Local Protections
- Disability
- FMLA
-
General Insurance Law Information {Look Here First}
- Cancer Legal Resource Center (CLRC)
- Legal Handbook (PDF)
- Chart of Health Insurance laws by state, including COBRA
- Patient Legal Handbook- cancer-related legal issues from diagnosis through survivorship
- Cancer Legal Resource Center (CLRC)
**Bonus Video
IV. Organizing Finances
Here are some tools to keep everything organized if you find you have a lot of financial details that you need to make available for your insurance, workplace, or your own planning
- Checklist to avoid financial toxicity
- Managing and organizing your finances
- Financial worksheets
- Protecting your wallet after cancer-video
Bonus information
Videos/Webinars: These are more detailed, longer webinars to help you manage your finances, pick your insurance, and ensure your financial health
V. Case Management/Live Support
Sometimes you just need to talk to a person one on one to help you sort things out. Here is a list of organizations that you can contact to talk to a live expert, who can help.
| Organization | Website | Description | Other Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| LLS | www.lls.org/support/information-specialists | Information specialists for blood cancer on cancer treatment, financial and social challenges and give accurate, up-to-date disease, treatment, and support information. Our Information Specialists are highly trained oncology social workers, nurses, and health educators | Blood cancer only |
| PAF | www.patientadvocate.org/connect-with-services/case-management-services-and-medcarelines/ | Case management services; not limited to cancer | |
| ACS | www.cancer.org/treatment/support-programs-and-services.html | Cancer Helpline; a video is also available | |
| Triage Cancer | triagecancer.org/gethelp | Legal and financial navigation program | |
| CLRC | https://thedrlc.org/cancer/clrc-intake-form/ | Legal support | |
| Cancer Care | https://www.cancercare.org/casemanagement | CancerCare provides free telephone case management to people living with cancer, post-treatment survivors, and caregivers affected by cancer. CancerCare’s Case Management services are provided by professional oncology social workers. This service is available in English and Spanish and centers on the practical challenges that arise from cancer. | Patients & caregivers |