Guide to Financial Concerns

Everyone has heard the old saying that the primary causes of stress and fights in marriages are sex, money, and in-laws. I suspect that two of the three are responsible for a lot of the stress during cancer--with health and prognosis worries replacing in-laws as the third.

I have written a number of times about money and costs and cancer-related expenses. It is only getting worse as drugs costs soar, everyone else cuts back, and patients are left with higher and higher deductibles and co-pays and uncovered bills. Add reduced incomes, or maybe loss of incomes, and the other expenses for increased childcare or household help or hospital parking, and it is easy to see why major illness is the primary reason for bankruptcy in the US.

This is an introduction to an excellent financial guide from Living Beyond Breast Cancer. You can read it online or download it:

Guide to Understanding Financial Concerns

Get practical advice on managing the visible and hidden costs of breast cancer treatment in our Guide to Understanding Financial Concerns. Learn to navigate the maze of private and public (Medicaid, Medicare and Veterans) health insurance plans, and what to do if your claim is denied. If you don’t have health insurance coverage, find out how to access affordable insurance coverage through your state’s healthcare marketplace or exchange, introduced by the Affordable Care Act. 

A section on job change or loss explores working during treatment, taking time off and using resources like disability coverage and the Family and Medical Leave Act. Find out ways to get help for medical costs and how to ask for support while protecting your privacy. This brochure also addresses the hidden costs of treatment, including travel, living expenses, child care and other practical matters not covered by health insurance. Understand how to protect your family’s financial future after your diagnosis and treatment. 

The information in this guide is accurate as of September 2016. Healthcare policies change rapidly, so be sure to check LBBC.ORG for updates.

The guide was written with guidance from a team of healthcare professionals and women affected by breast cancer.

https://www.lbbc.org/get-support/print/guides-to-understanding/guide-understanding-financial-concerns