Does anyone here pay 20% of all treatment costs?

[polluxx]

My dad is having a liver biopsy to pinpoint what chemotherapy he will need.

His Medicare pays 80%, but there is no cap on his out of pocket expenses.

Can anyone give me an estimate on how much his 20% might be a month? $1,000? $3,000? $5,000?

He is going to do whatever his oncologist recommends, but he asked me to find out a ballpark cost. Is that even possible to do before we find out exactly what his treatment will be?

[Molly]

Pollux-

The oncologist should be able to give you a price, but...

There should be someone at your hospital with the title of "Patient Advocate" or something like that. That person's job is to be the liason between you (or your Dad) and the hospital. (They are there to help YOU.) One thing that person may be able to do for you is to help you to get the payments down to something manageable...or in really great situations, get rid of them altogether.

[Brendaindy]

I would be finding some Fiancial aid. CancerCare.org? maybe?

Talk to the hospital social worker about finding help.

[Guest]

Does your dad have a supplemental insurance policy in addition to his Medicare?

When my dad was diagnosed with cancer several years ago he had a supplemental policy, and between that and Medicare his medical (but not prescription) costs were covered except for some small expenses here and there. He did not go through chemo, however, just radiation - 37 treatments - which was covered in full. Chemo would not have been covered as he had no prescription plan at that time, but that was not an issue since he decided against that for his type of cancer.

I don't know if there is a particular time of year that you can sign up for a Part B plan - it may be in the fall - but I would look into that to help with his expenses.

[NWgirl]

Just to give you an idea of how expensive cancer can be, my Blue Cross Blue Shield plan paid roughly $130,000 (not including my co-pays and deductibles which must have run somewhere around $5,000 for this time frame) for 7 months of treatment. This included surgery, all diagnostic tests leading up to surgery, and about 6 months of chemo and 6 weeks of radiation. Keep in mind that BCBS has negotiated prices with providers so what they pay is significantly less than the provider bills up front.

With this in mind, best to look for some financial aid ASAP to help with your fathers 20% as cancer gets very expensive very quickly.

[PammySue_51]

I agree about the costs. They are incredibly high. I wonder how much of the profit these drug makers get goes to research. I would look into financial aid, as well, and the cancer advocate is a great idea.