Co-Payment Assistance for Colorectal Cancer Patients

October 11, 2011

People with health insurance who are undergoing treatment for colon or colorectal cancer may be eligible to receive up to $10,000 per year in co-payment assistance through the CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation.

The Foundation also provides co-payment assistance to people undergoing treatment for:

  • non-small cell lung cancer
  • gastric cancer
  • renal cell cancer
  • glioblastoma
  • pancreatic cancer

Currently, the funds for breast cancer, prostate cancer, and head and neck cancer are closed. We will notify you as soon as these funds become available again.

Visit www.cancercarecopay.org to learn more about the foundation and how to apply for assistance. Learn more about our free, professional support services and resources for people facing colon or colorectal cancer.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

CancerCare is Awarded Top Rating by The American Institute of Philanthropy

July 14, 2011

CancerCare has been awarded The American Institute of Philanthropy’s top rating for our distribution of charitable donations benefiting our free programs and services. Our organization joins the ranks of only a select few organizations to receive the institute’s “A” grade.

The institute currently reviews and rates over 500 charities. Each charity is subjected to a rigorous review process, in which expert analysts evaluate each organization’s finances, efficiency, and administration.

Read more about our top rating.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

CancerCare Helps Cover Co-Payment Costs of Treatment for Seven Diagnoses

July 1, 2011

The CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation provides up to $10,000 per year in co-payment assistance to eligible individuals facing the following diagnoses:

  • colon or colorectal cancer
  • gastric cancer
  • glioblastoma
  • non-small cell lung cancer
  • pancreatic cancer
  • renal cell cancer

Also, people affected by prostate cancer may be eligible to receive up to $5,000 per year in co-payment assistance through the foundation.

Currently, the funds for breast cancer and head and neck cancer are closed. We will notify you as soon as these funds become available again. 

Visit www.cancercarecopay.org to learn more about the foundation and to apply for assistance.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

New Multiple Myeloma Fact Sheets are Available

February 10, 2011

Three new CancerCare fact sheets are available for people coping with multiple myeloma.

Coping with Multiple Myeloma offers tips for managing multiple myeloma so that patients can feel more in control of their diagnosis.

Multiple Myeloma: Finding Resources and Support provides information on local and national resources that are available for people coping with multiple myeloma.

Multiple Myeloma: Making the Most of Medical Appointments explores ways to improve communication with your health care team.

These fact sheets can be ordered free of charge from CancerCare’s online order form. Our newest Connect® Booklet, Advances in the Treatment of Multiple Myeloma, is also available to order through the form.

Learn more about CancerCare’s resources for people coping with multiple myeloma, including our “Door to Door” program that provides individual grants of up to $600 annually to multiple myeloma patients for covering transportation costs such as gasoline, parking and tolls, and taxi, bus or train fare to and from their medical care.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Co-Payment Assistance is Available for People Facing Prostate Cancer

January 5, 2011

The CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation provides up to $5,000 per year in co-payment assistance to people facing prostate cancer.  Visit www.cancercarecopay.org to learn how to apply, and to see a list of covered medications.

Read about “game-changing” research in prostate cancer treatment in CancerCare’s new booklet, Your Guide to the Latest Cancer Research and Treatments.  You can order free copies of the booklet, along with publications such as Living with Metastatic Prostate Cancer and Caring for Your Bones When You Have Prostate Cancer.

Learn more about CancerCare’s free support services for people affected by prostate cancer.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Financial Help for Cancer Patients Lessens Out-of-Pocket Treatment Costs

September 14, 2010

Health care providers should open up the conversation with their patients about resources that can help ease the burden of costly insurance co-payments for their cancer treatments, advises CancerCare CEO Helen H. Miller in the latest issue of Oncology Nurse Advisor magazine.

Many patients may hesitate to discuss financial matters with their health care team, Miller notes, even though their ability to cover  medical costs is key to complying with their treatment. 

Miller advises oncology nurses and other health care providers to talk openly with their patients about financial resources that might benefit them. The CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation, for example, provides qualified individuals with up to $10,000 per year in co-payment assistance for certain cancer diagnoses and treatments. The Cancer Financial Assistance Coalition (CFAC) is a searchable database that directs patients to other sources of financial assistance, locally and nationally.

Read the full article for more resources.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

SAMFund Offers Financial Grants for Young Adult Cancer Survivors; Apply by July 12

July 8, 2010

The SAMFund, a unique nonprofit organization that helps young adult cancer survivors transition into post-treatment life, is offering financial assistance to qualified applicants.  To date, more than 250 individuals across the country have received SAMFund grants and scholarships.

Recipients are awarded an average of $2,000 in grants and scholarships that help cover costs such as medical and living expenses, certain types of tuition, and family-building expenses.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens, 17-35 years old, and have completed active treatment. The application deadline is Monday, July 12.

To apply for a 2010 SAMFund grant, visit www.thesamfund.org. 

CancerCare offers specialized, free services for young adult patients, caregivers, loved ones, and survivors including counseling, financial assistance, support groups, and publications.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Medical Schools Teaching Future Doctors about Cost of Care

May 6, 2010

A recent article in The New York Times describes how medical schools are educating future doctors about the high costs of medical treatments and how health care is financed.

Doctors-in-training were traditionally shielded from the cost of the tests and treatment required for their patients.  Students were taught to order tests based on their evaluation of the condition, rather than factor in the high cost to the patient. 

Now, many residency programs are creating courses for students about health policy that include information about treatment costs and insurance. For example, Dr. Yasmin S. Meah, an assistant professor of medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, directs a clinic that she describes as teaching future doctors how to “understand what is necessary and what is not. ” Students there are learning valuable lessons in how to practice medicine more cost-effectively for patients.

These are exciting developments because, as the financial impact of cancer treatment can be overwhelming, cost of care is a key issue for doctors and patients to discuss. Just as important is knowing about the resources that exist to provide patients with financial support.

The Cancer Financial Assistance Coalition (CFAC) is a group of organizations, which includes CancerCare, that offers financial help and resources. The coalition educates patients and providers about existing resources through a comprehensive online database.

The CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation provides eligible individuals with up to $10,000 per year in co-payment assistance. 

Learn more about the financial support offered by CancerCare.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Lung Cancer Treatment Guide Details New Treatments, Hope for Patients

April 5, 2010

Be a Survivor—Lung Cancer Treatment Guide is an optimistic, encouraging treatment guide that details the lung cancer experience from diagnosis to recovery. 

The guidebook was written by Vladimir Lange, M.D. to empower patients to seek a cure, rather than to accept defeat.  “New treatments, new drugs, and earlier diagnosis make survival much more likely than it was just a few years ago,” he notes.

CancerCare Lung Cancer Program Coordinator Win Boerkel calls Be a Survivor “one of the best lung cancer patient guides I’ve seen in my 13 years of working with lung cancer patients.”

In 2009, CancerCare collaborated with leading patient advocacy groups to launch The Lung Cancer Clinical Trial Call to Action campaign, designed to help patients and their families navigate the complicated landscape of researching and identifying clinical trials. Patients can call 1-800-698-0931 to be matched with a Clinical Trial Specialist who will guide them through the entire process.

The CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation offers up to $10,000 per year in co-payment assistance for lung cancer patients in their families.

To order the guide, call 1-888-LANGE-88 (888-526-4388), or print out and fax back the order form.

Learn more about our free services for lung cancer patients and visit our sister website, www.lungcancer.org.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

USA Today Examines Rising Costs of Cancer Treatments

March 19, 2010

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.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

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