I saved $829.46 on my Radiation Oncology Bills!
RADIATION ONCOLOGY (For me included: 7 weeks of daily (5 days per week) radiation)
Actual cost for above radiation oncology: $30,671.00
Contracted amount my insurance Paid: $8,444.90
My “out of pocket” cost: $1,448.89
Amount I saved on my “out of pocket” cost: $829.46
Amount I actually paid: $619.43
*I was then able to make $50 per month no interest payments on the $619.43
There are no grants or co-payment assistance grant programs that I know of to help cover the out of pocket expenses for radiation bills.
However, what you can do is apply for financial assistance or a discount through the billing department of the radiation office where you are receiving treatment.
Most people have no idea that you can ask for a discount or apply for financial aid on your remaining out of pocket costs. Most people assume that the bill you receive is what you have to pay and that is simply not necessarily the case.
The phone number for the billing office will be on your bill and it may be at the location where you received treatment or often times it is at a different location and possibly a different city.
I waited until I was completely done with my seven weeks of radiation treatment before I applied for the financial discount because I wanted to know what my total bill would be for before applying.
Once I knew what my total bill was, I called the billing department and asked to apply for financial assistance or a discount on my bill. They referred me to their main billing department and from there they looked up my total amount owed and mailed me the application to apply.
I really didn’t think I would qualify because we owned our home and had a decent income, but I thought it was worth a try anyway in the hope of saving as much money as possible.
After a couple weeks I was notified that they would discount my amount still owed by 57% !
So amount I saved was $829.46 !
The amount I still owed after the discount was $619.43. So then I talked to the billing department about setting up an interest free payment plan on the $619.43 that I still owed. So I ended up making interest free payments of $50 per month until the bill was paid in full.
Make sure you keep copies of all health related expenses that you pay for since you may be able to write them off on your taxes.
By following this process and applying for the discount, it saved me:
$829.46 !! (Totally worth a little paperwork and time!)
Questions on this section??? please feel to ask any me questions in our private facebook group – “Breast Cancer Financial Help & Resources -Cancer Butterfly”