Wednesday, April 4, 2012

FINANCIAL AND SERVICE SUPPORT

The Financial Support section provides links to resources that offer financial assistance for those dealing with cancer. Medical bills, medications, legal issues, travel and accommodation costs for treatment and education and employment issues can create financial hardships. The following resources will help in lightening the financial burden of life with cancer.

General

CFAC is a coalition of financial assistance organizations joining forces to help cancer patients experience better health and well-being by limiting financial challenges. You can search for specific types of assistance as well as resources available for specific types of cancer.
CancerCare is a national nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization that provides free, professional support services to anyone affected by cancer: people with cancer, caregivers, children, loved ones, and the bereaved. CancerCare programs—including counseling and support groups, education, financial assistance and practical help—are provided by professional oncology social workers and are completely free of charge.
The National Cancer Institute coordinates the National Cancer Program, which conducts and supports research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs with respect to the cause, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancer, rehabilitation from cancer, and the continuing care of cancer patients and the families of cancer patients. Cancer.gov includes an extensive list of organizations that offer financial assistance.
Jen's Thank You Alliance assists young adult cancer survivors ages 15-39 in finding financial, inspirational and educational resources needed from initial diagnosis, through continuing treatment & remission periods.
The National Collegiate Cancer Foundation's mission is to provide services and support to young adults who have been diagnosed with cancer. NCCF is committed to providing need-based financial support to young adult survivors who are pursuing higher education throughout their treatment and beyond.
TheChainFund.com provides financial assistance to cancer patients in areas such as mortgage, rent, utilities, prescriptions, insurance and special foods needs. Funds are made available to qualified applicants and paid directly to the appropriate vendors.
Developed and maintained by The National Council on Aging (NCOA), BenefitsCheckUp is the nation's most comprehensive Web-based service to screen for benefits programs for seniors with limited income and resources. BenefitsCheckUp includes more than 2,000 public and private benefits for things such as prescription drugs, financial assistance, legal assistance, health care and more.

Co-Pays and Medications

The CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation provides eligible individuals with up to $10,000 per year in co-payment assistance. They currently offer this program to people affected by breast cancer, colon or colorectal cancer, glioblastoma, head and neck cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, and renal cell cancer.
The Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF) Co-Pay Relief Program (CPR) currently provides direct financial support to insured patients, including Medicare Part D beneficiaries, who must financially and medically qualify to access pharmaceutical co-payment assistance. The program offers personal service to all patients through the use of call counselors; personally guiding patients through the enrollment process.
NeedyMeds.org’s mission is to help people who cannot afford medicine or health care costs. On their site you can find information about free or discounted medication programs, free or low cost clinics and camps and scholarship programs. They also offer a discount drug card that can provide significant savings on your prescriptions (also available as an IPhone App).
The Partnership for Prescription Assistance helps qualifying patients without prescription drug coverage get the medicines they need for free or nearly free. Their mission is to increase awareness of patient assistance programs and boost enrollment of those who are eligible. They offer a single point of access to more than 475 public and private programs, including nearly 200 offered by pharmaceutical companies.

Legal and Employment

Patient Advocate Foundation's Patient Services provides patients with arbitration, mediation and negotiation to settle issues with access to care, medical debt, and job retention related to their illness. PAF case managers serve as active liaisons between the patient and their insurer, employer and/or creditors. You can also search for financial assistance by state in the resource section of their site.
DisabilityRightsLegalCenter.org
The Cancer Legal Resource Center (CLRC) is a national, joint program of the Disability Rights Legal Center and Loyola Law School Los Angeles. The CLRC provides free and confidential information and resources on cancer-related legal issues to cancer survivors, caregivers, employers, health care professionals, and others coping with cancer.
CancerandCareers.org
Cancer and Careers empowers and educates people with cancer to thrive in their work environment by providing expert advice, interactive tools and educational events.

Travel and Housing

Angel Bus is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to providing compassionate, non-emergency long-distance ground transportation to patients in need.  Angel Bus utilizes motor coaches and their volunteer drivers as well as commercial buses.  Patients may access help from Angel Bus by calling 1-800-768-0238 or by emailing info@angel-bus.org.
AirCharityNetwork.org provides people in need with access to free air transportation to specialized health care facilities or distant destinations due to family, community or national crisis.
The Air Care Alliance is a nationwide league of humanitarian flying organizations whose volunteer pilot members are dedicated to community service. AirCareAll.org will introduce you to all the groups listed whose volunteers perform public benefit flying for health care and patient transport. By clicking theListings button on the site, you can find volunteer pilots or an aviation charitable group near you.  
Miracle Flights for Kids flies children who are struggling with serious cancers or debilitating diseases to specialized medical treatment centers across the U.S. Any child needing medical treatment or seeking out a second opinion not available in their own home town is eligible to apply for a miracle mission at MiracleFlights.org.
The National Patient Travel HELPLINE provides information about all forms of charitable, long-distance medical air transportation and provides referrals to all appropriate sources of help available in the national charitable medical air transportation network. You can find the services they offer at PatientTravel.org or call 800-296-1217.
Corporate Angel Network 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. Eligibility to participate in our program is open to all cancer patients, bone marrow donors, and bone marrow recipients who are ambulatory and not in need of medical support while traveling and is not based on financial need.
Joe's House is an online lodging resource for cancer patients and their loved ones. Finding a place to stay near hospitals and cancer treatment centers across the country is easy at JoesHouse.org, which lists thousands of options for lodging. Details on each lodging facility such as distance to hospitals, how to make a reservation, qualifications for stays, rates and amenities can be found on the site. Users may search by city or by healthcare facility. For those without Internet access, there is a toll free line at 877-JOESHOU (877-563-7468).
HospitalHosts.com assists people in finding housing when they have to travel for treatment. The site can help you find housing that’s appropriate, affordable, and close to the medical facility and allows you to concentrate all your energies on the treatment and cure of your loved one.
The National Association of Hospital Hospitality Houses, Inc. is a caring 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. You can locate available NAHHH lodging at NAHHH.org.

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