Financial Resources
The cost of medical care for someone with cancer is extraordinary. Here are some resources I have gathered that offer financial assistance to people with lung cancer. Click on the bold type:
Cleaning
Cleaning for a Reason Foundation offers free professional housecleaning and maid services for women, ages 19 or older, that are undergoing cancer treatment. Partnering with more than 1,200 professional residential maid services throughout the U.S. and Canada, the Foundation provides eligible patients with up to two free house cleanings (one general cleaning a month for up to two months).
Dental
Dental Lifeline provides access to dental care and education for people who cannot afford it and who have a permanent disability, are elderly (age 65 or older), or are medically fragile
Employment
Cancer and Careers empowers and educates people with cancer to thrive in their workplace by providing expert advice, interactive tools, and educational events
Job Accommodation Network is a source of free, expert, and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues
US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission enforces federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability (like cancer), or genetic information.
Energy Assistance
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides heating and cooling assistance to roughly 6.7 million households.
General Assistance
211.org is the most comprehensive source of local social services in the U. S. and Canada. For help with housing, utilities, food, addiction treatment and other services, call 211 or visit the website.
CancerCare provides other limited financial assistance to people affected by cancer in addition to their co-pay assistance program. If they do not currently have funding to assist you, their professional oncology social workers will always work to refer you to other financial assistance resources.
FundFinder from the PAN Foundation is a web-based app designed to quickly notify registered users when financial assistance for their condition becomes available from any of the charitable patient assistance foundations.
The Samfund for Young Adult Survivors of Cancer provides support for young adult cancer survivors in the United States as they recover from the financial impact of cancer treatment. Through direct financial assistance and free online support and education, the Samfund helps young adults move forward toward their personal, professional, and academic goals.
Genetic/Molecular Testing
Patient Advocate Foundation Co-Pay Relief covers the cost of physician-prescribed genetic and genomic tests for cancer for patients who meet eligibility criteria.
Government
Benefits.gov is the official benefits Web site of the U.S. Government. The Web site is designed to help users find government benefit and assistance programs for which they may be eligible. The Benefit Finder on the Web site has a list of Core Questions to identify which government benefits you may be eligible to receive.
Healthcare.gov has detailed information about how to get healthcare coverage you can afford. You can also get connected to organizations in your community that can help you enroll.
US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission enforces federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability (like cancer), or genetic information.
Housing
211.org is the most comprehensive source of local social services in the U. S. and Canada. For help with housing, utilities, food, addiction treatment and other services, call 211 or visit the website.
Assisted Living Options for People with Disabilities covers information on supportive living options as well as sources of financial support.
Home Ownership Preservation Foundation is an independent national nonprofit dedicated to guiding consumers onto the path of avoiding foreclosure, having sustainable home ownership and improving their overall financial health.
Making Home Affordable (US Department of Housing and Urban Development) helps homeowners get mortgage relief and avoid foreclosure.
Legal
Cancer Legal Resource Center is a national program of the Disability Rights Legal Center. Provides information and education about cancer-related legal issues to the public through its national telephone assistance line and online assistance form, as well as a library of free online fact sheets, webinars, and other publications.
LawHelp helps people of low and moderate incomes find free legal aid programs in their communities, answers to questions about their legal rights, and forms to help them with their legal problems.
US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission enforces federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability (like cancer), or genetic information.
Lodging
American Cancer Society Lodging Program, in a cooperative effort with hotels across the country, provides overnight accommodations to cancer patients who must travel for outpatient treatment and need assistance with lodging.
Healthcare Hospitality Network is a nationwide professional association of nonprofit organizations that provide lodging and support services to patients, families, and their loved ones who are receiving medical treatment far from their home communities. These hospital hospitality houses provide free or reduced-cost lodging.
Joe's House lists thousands of places to stay across the country near hospitals and treatments centers that offer a discount for traveling patients and their loved ones.
National Association of Hospital Hospitality Houses, Inc. (www.NAHHH.org) is an association of more than 150 nonprofit organizations located throughout the U.S. that provide family-centered lodging and support services to families and their loved ones who are receiving medical treatment far from their home communities.
Medications
CancerCare Copayment Assistance Foundation (www.CancerCoPay.org) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping patients afford their copayments for chemotherapy and targeted treatment drugs.
FamilyWize has partnered with pharmacies nationwide to negotiate prescription discounts. Free downloadable prescription discount cards can be used by everyone, regardless of financial need or insurance status. Their Drug Price Look Up Tool allows comparison shopping to find the lowest price.
Good Days is a non-profit advocacy organization that provides resources for life-saving and life-extending treatments to people in need of access to care. Good Days helps qualified patients pay their insurance co-pays.
Medicine Assistance Tool is a free-to-use search engine that focuses its searches on patient assistance resources available to eligible patients, to allow users to search for financial assistance resources available from PhRMA's member companies. MAT replaces PhRMA's Partnership for Prescription Assistance program (PPA).
NeedyMeds is an online information resource dedicated to helping people who can't afford medications and other healthcare costs. Their website provides information on prescription assistance, drug discount coupons, rebates and cards, diagnosis-specific programs, free or low-cost clinics, scholarships, and transportation.
Pan Foundation (Patient Access Network) offers medication co-pay assistance for people with non-small cell lung cancer. Qualified patients will be granted $7,500 annually to cover copayments, coinsurances, and deductibles. Patients who earn up to 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Level – $60,520 for a family of two – are eligible for assistance.
RxAssist is a web-based medication assistance resource center that offers a comprehensive directory of the patient assistance programs run by pharmaceutical companies, as well as tools and information to help patients manage their medication costs.
Optical
Eye Care America is a public service program of the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology that provides access to medical eye care.
Respite
ARCH National Respite Network is a service to help caregivers and professionals locate respite services in their community.
Transportation
Air Care Alliance: More than sixty groups have volunteer pilots who will fly patients for care or provide other flights or aviation services to help those in need or serve our communities. Includes a listing of volunteer pilots or an aviation charitable group by location.
Angel Wheels to Healing is dedicated to providing non-emergency, long-distance ground transportation to financially stressed ambulatory patients who are traveling for treatment.
Corporate Angel Network (www.CorpAngelNetwork.org) helps to ease the emotional stress, physical discomfort, and financial burden of travel for cancer patients by arranging free flights to treatment centers, using the empty seats on corporate aircraft flying on routine business for all cancer patients who are able to walk up and down the steps to a private plane without assistance and do not require oxygen, IV, or any other form of life support during the flight. Eligibility is not based on financial need, and patients may travel as often as necessary.
National Patient Travel Center provides information about all forms of charitable, long-distance medical transportation and provides referrals to all appropriate sources of help available in the national charitable medical transportation network, including charitable airline ticket programs, volunteer pilot organizations, air ambulance coordination, long distance ground transportation for ambulatory patients traveling for treatment (typical distance is 70-250 miles one-way). They also supply gas cards and train and bus tickets.
NeedyMeds is an online information resource dedicated to helping people who can't afford medications and other healthcare costs. Their website provides information on prescription assistance, drug discount coupons, rebates and cards, diagnosis-specific programs, free or low-cost clinics, scholarships, and transportation.
Road to Recovery is an American Cancer Society program for medical transportation, using volunteer drivers in your area.
SOURCES: American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, Cancer Financial Assistance Coalition, CancerCare, LUNGevity, National Cancer Institute