Category: chemotherapy cost

Do you understand how cancer grants work?

You could be missing out on a lot of financial help if you don’t fully understand how cancer financial grants work.

There are retro rules for each grant, “back door” ways to get approved even if they say the funding is closed for the specific grant you are needing to apply to, and different names for the drugs you may be receiving (grants may be listed under the brand name OR the generic name)  …….

**Chemotherapy and drug co-payment assistance grants have specific time deadlines and depending on the Foundation program may only go retro for 30-180 days (some go a year retro) from your “approved” date, so it is VERY important to apply for these right away. 

Make sure you fully understand how the grants work BEFORE applying for any grants!

Check out our…….

Chemotherapy and Drug Grant Overview Page to understand the entire process

**Join our FREE private Breast Cancer Financial Help and Resources – Cancer Butterfly Facebook Group to ask questions, share info, and get in the info sharing first hand 🙂

Click the compass below to check out all of our other FREE resources:

 

New Grant Foundations for spring!

Happy Spring time!  We have run across some new grant Foundations that may be helpful to you!  The Foundations are not new, we just newly became aware of them.  So we wanted to be sure to pass on the information on these Foundations right away…..

Everything from Foundations that offer non-medical cost-of-living help, transportation, home care and child care costs.  Grants for help with outstanding medical bills, mortgage payments, tuition assistance and providing financial assistance for vacations!

My motto is apply for any that you may qualify for …..the worst they can say is “no” 🙂

***Here is the list of Foundations that have been newly added to our Cancer Butterfly Foundation List (go down the list and start applying today!):

The Pink Fund  A non-profit breast cancer organization that provides 90-day non-medical cost-of-living to breast cancer patients in active treatment for breast cancer, so they can focus on healing, raising their families, and returning to the workplace.

Apply thru website:  https://www.pinkfund.org/

The Pink Fund

P.O. Box 603

Bloomfield Hills, MI  48303

By Phone:  877.234.PINK (7465)

The Pink Fund partners with The Mary Herczog Fund for Metastatic Breast Cancer Survivors  The Mary Herczog Fund for Metastatic Breast Cancer Survivors was launched in her honor to provide six months of financial support to women in treatment for metastatic breast cancer. Metastatic survivors diagnosed under 40, as was Mary, and awaiting Social Security Disability, may qualify under The Pink Fund’s guidelines. Check back to our site on March 31, 2018 for the official launch, including details on qualifications and applications.

Apply thru website:  https://www.pinkfund.org/2018/03/26/partners-address-metastatic-breast-cancer-community/

The Pink Fund / The Mary Herczog Fund for Metastatic Breast Cancer Survivors

P.O. Box 603

Bloomfield Hills, MI  48303

By Phone:  877.234.PINK (7465)

Cancer Care  The Financial Assistance Program helps with treatment-related costs, such as transportation, home care and child care.  The Co-Payment Assistance Foundation helps with insurance co-payments to cover the cost of chemotherapy and targeted treatments.

Cancer Care

275 Seventh Avenue

New York, NY  10001

By Phone:  800‑813‑HOPE (4673)

Call to apply:  Call 800-813-HOPE (4673) and speak with a CancerCare social worker to complete a brief interview.  They can be reached from 10 a.m.–6 p.m. (ET) Monday through Thursday, and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. (ET) on Friday.

The Angela Andrade Foundation  Grants have ranged from paying outstanding medical bills, mortgage payments, tuition assistance and providing financial assistance for vacations.

You are eligible to apply to the Angela Andrade Foundation if:

  • You are a patient with metastatic breast cancer
  • You are receiving treatment within the United States
  • You are a permanent resident of the United States

In order to apply for a grant, an applicant must mail a completed application to the address indicated below.

Download the application here:  https://angelaandradefoundation.blogspot.com/p/srchttpsdocs.html

Grants will be given in $1,800 increments. Grants will be given on an as needed basis. Recipients are selected monthly and must wait a year before applying for another grant from The Angela Andrade Foundation. The applicant must submit a completed application including confirmation from a healthcare provider (through a sealed letter). When possible, all grant payments will be made directly to service providers on behalf of the individual recipient. In some instances recipients may be eligible for reimbursement, but they must provide receipts prior to expense reimbursement.

The Angela Andrade Foundation 
The Dallas Foundation
Reagan Place at Old Parkland 3963 Maple Avenue, Suite 390
Dallas, Texas 75219
(214) 741-9898
Email:   angelaandradefoundation@gmail.com
American Cancer Society  Breakthrough research. Free lodging near treatment. A 24/7/365 live helpline. Rides to treatment.  And much more!
Call to see what all they can help YOU with for your specific situation.  
Cancer Help line:  800-227-2345

American Cancer Society Road to Recovery Program

The program is intended to assist with cancer-related appointments.  Patients must provide a 3 business day advance notice, not including the first date a ride is needed, when making requests.  All arrangements must be made through the American Cancer Society Patient Services department. Patients should NOT contact volunteer drivers directly to request rides. 

American Cancer Society Patient Services department must be notified immediately if a patient’s plans change and a ride is no longer needed.  The program is subject to volunteer availability.  A request will be submitted to determine if drivers are available.

Patients will be notified no later than one business day before the scheduled appointment to provide a status update on the request and if a driver was found. (Patients may be notified sooner than this.)  If a volunteer driver is found, patients may be contacted by the driver the night prior to the appointment.

Please feel free to call the American Cancer Society’s Patient Services department with any questions. Our toll-free number is 888-227-6333.

American Cancer Society – Hope Lodge  Each Hope Lodge offers cancer patients and their caregivers a free place to stay when their best hope for effective treatment may be in another city. Not having to worry about where to stay or how to pay for lodging allows guests to focus on getting better. Hope Lodge provides a nurturing, home-like environment where guests can retreat to private rooms or connect with others. Every Hope Lodge also offers a variety of resources and information about cancer and how best to fight the disease.

Check out webpage for more info:  https://www.cancer.org/treatment/support-programs-and-services/patient-lodging/hope-lodge.html

**Join our private Breast Cancer Financial Help and Resources – Cancer Butterfly Facebook Group to ask questions, share info, and get in the info sharing first hand 🙂

Click here to check out our complete Cancer Butterfly Foundation Grant List 

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Neulasta Injection can help you get approved for a cancer grant

The very expensive Neulasta Injection is often given the day after chemotherapy treatment in order to stimulate your bone marrow to make your white blood cells recover more quickly from the effects of the chemo drugs and to help ward off infections.

This injection can cause bone pain in your legs, arms, lower back, and chest.  The bone pain should lessen each time you receive the injection.  The injection is usually given at least 24 hrs after chemotherapy to stimulate the growth of new, healthy, white blood cells.

If you are receiving the Neulasta Injection you can apply for cancer grants to help offset your out of pocket cost on this drug and possibly on the other cancer drugs you are receiving too!  See below for example…

EXAMPLE:  Basically let’s say you have breast cancer, but the foundation you called is not accepting any more new breast cancer applications this month, or they are not accepting any more new applications for the specific cancer drugs you are receiving, you can still apply if they are accepting new applications for CIN (chemo induced anemia).

You would qualify to apply as CIN if you are receiving (or did receive) the very expensive neulasta injection.  

And, because you got your “foot in the door” with your CIN application with this foundation and if approved through your CIN application, you very well may also be able to get ALL your other cancer related drugs covered (as long as they are on that foundations approved list, even if they are not specifically accepting new applications for those drugs any longer that month, and as long as your health insurance paid a portion of the cost, which left you with a co-payment).

Read our page on Chemotherapy and drug grant overview (Save $$$)  for more detailed information on cancer grants and our Foundation grant list page.

Click on the compass below to check out all of our free resources to help you be more comfortable during your cancer treatment:

Steps leading up to my Breast Cancer diagnosis

Image result for footprints in the sand

I first noticed the lump in my right breast while on vacation over the summer with my family.  Once we returned home, I made an appointment with my doctor.

They were certain it was NOT cancer but sent me to get a mammogram just to be sure.  The mammogram came back with abnormalities.  They did an ultrasound that same day on the breast.

They told me they wanted me to come back for a biopsy the next week, they kept saying they were sure it was not cancer, “I was too young, it didn’t run in my family, I don’t fit the profile, blah, blah, blah…”

I went back the next week and had the biopsy on a Wednesday and by Friday afternoon ten minutes before needing to leave to pick up my daughter at kindergarten my doctor’s office called with the horrible news……  I do indeed have breast cancer.

And let me tell you….. the world stopped….. you hear of people saying the “world just stopped”, and it really did….dead silence, I had to remind myself to breathe…

I was and still am shocked!  I had my first baseline mammogram at age 35 and it was fine.  I was 40 years old when I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  I am now happy to say I am a seven year breast cancer survivor 🙂

To help ease your burden as you go through cancer treatment we have a lot of resources available to help with out of pocket costs for hospital tests, chemotherapy cost, chemotherapy side effects, and radiation treatment costs.

Click the compass below to check out all the FREE Resources available on CancerButterfly.com to help you through your cancer treatment:

The MRI experience

Image result for mri machine

MRI (Magnetic Resonance imaging) is a test that uses a magnetic field and pulses of radio wave energy to make pictures of organs and structures inside the body.

An MRI may be used for many reasons.  It can be used to find problems such as tumors, bleeding, injury, blood vessel diseases, or infections.

The way the MRI was explained to me is that is a very sensitive mammogram that will be looking at all the cell tissue in both breasts and in the chest walls.

You may be given a gown to wear and will need to remove all metal objects (such as hearing aids, dentures, jewelry, watches, and hair clips).

You need to lie very still inside the MRI magnet, so you may need medicine to help you relax if you become nervous in confined spaces if you are claustrophobic.

Inside the scanner you will hear a fan and feel air moving.  You may also hear noises as the MRI scans are taken.  You may be given earplugs or earphones to wear to reduce the noise.

The MRI test usually takes 30-60 minutes.

I am claustrophobic so I can’t say the MRI was a fun experience for me, but I survived and you will too.  My MRI test took 45 mins and during the test I just kept trying to redirect my mind to other things and not focus on where I was.

To help ease your burden as you go through cancer treatment we have a lot of resources available to help with out of pocket costs for hospital tests, chemotherapy cost, chemotherapy side effects, and radiation treatment costs.

Click here to check out all the FREE Resources available on CancerButterfly.com to help you through your cancer treatment

Save money on out of pocket Hospital bill co-pays

As you go through cancer treatment you will accumulate a lot of various individual bills for hospital services.  These services may include lab work, MRI, PET scan, echocardiogram, ultrasounds, X-rays, Mammograms, biopsies, genetic tests, surgery, and any other large test performed at the hospital.

The costs of all these tests can REALLY add up!  Usually your health insurance company will have negotiated the rates on these services with your hospital, but you may still have quite a bit to pay out of pocket on your co-pays.

The amount I owed the hospital for my out of pocket co-pay cost for all my breast cancer related hospital expenses was $1,594.88.  Thankfully, I learned how to apply for a discount on these costs and luckily was able to receive a 54% discount off of that amount, so then I only owed $726.22!

When you also have out of pocket co-pays and deductibles to pay for chemotherapy and radiation treatment, all the out of pocket costs can really start to add up!  So anywhere you can save money helps a lot!  Thankfully, there is financial help for cancer patients!