The major costs of a cancer diagnosis and treatment include charges for time in the hospital, clinic visits, medicines, tests and procedures, home health services, services of doctors and other professionals, and treatment (surgery, chemotherapy, radiation treatment, and bone marrow or peripheral stem cell transplant). Insurance, managed care, or public health care programs pay the major part of these costs if you are covered in such a plan. Other sources that help with these direct costs have been noted previously.

Families also face many indirect costs or out-of-pocket expenses when a child has cancer. These costs can be for a number of different needs, such as:

• travel (gas and parking),
• lodging (a place for the patient and/or family to stay) during treatments done away from home
• meals during admissions or clinic visits
• extra child care costs
• long-distance and other communication ( calls, faxes, copies of medical records, etc ) with doctors, friends and relatives
• special foods and nutritional supplements
• special equipment or clothing

Also, a child's treatment plan can cause parents and family members to lose time at work and, in some cases, all or part of their salary. Even more money is lost if one parent has to quit a job or take an extended leave of absence. Of course, costs increase as treatment is extended, if there are treatment complications, or if the cancer comes back (recurs).

What help is available with short-term housing near the treatment center?

Most major treatment centers have a Ronald McDonald House nearby. These houses provide low-cost or free housing to patients and their immediate families. These houses are designed to offer a nice break to any family with a seriously ill child, not just those with limited funds. Although partly funded by McDonald's Children's Charities, each House has its own management, sets its own admissions standards, and operates according to its own rules. Check with your team social worker or nurse to learn more, or see "Additional resources."

Many treatment centers also have other short-term housing possibilities or discount arrangements with nearby motels and hotels. The clinic social worker or oncology nurse may have ideas for low-cost housing during the hospital or clinic treatment.

Where can families find help with housing needs or mortgage payments?

The extra expenses of a child's treatment or major loss of family income may make it tough for families to meet their mortgage or rent payments on time. To keep a good credit rating, it is important to talk with your creditors or landlords about your situation and try to make special arrangements. Family, friends, or church members may be able to give you short-term help if they are made aware of the problem. Talk about your situation with the team social worker who may know of special resources.

Families who need to move out of housing after a child's cancer diagnosis should talk with their county department of social services to find out if they can get into government-supported housing programs.

Where can families get help with driving and ground transportation costs?

There are some sources that may help with travel and related costs:

• People who have Medicaid are entitled to help with travel to medical centers and doctors' offices for treatment. This may take the form of payment or being reimbursed (paid back) for gas, payment of bus fare, or it may involve using a van pool. County departments of social services in each state arrange for help with transportation, but families must ask for it by speaking with their Medicaid case worker.

• The American Cancer Society's program, Road to Recovery, is available in some areas. In this program volunteers drive patients and families to hospitals and clinics for treatment. In some parts of the country, the ACS may also provide some limited help with the cost of gas. Contact your local office of the American Cancer Society for more information on what is available in your area.

• The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, through its Patient Aid program, can help some families with the cost of gas and parking for outpatient treatment. There is a limit on the amount of financial help to each patient and family for each year. Check with your team social worker about this or see the "Additional resources" section.

• Community and church groups may be sources of help with travel or its costs. Also, ask about getting help with hospital or clinic parking charges with the team social worker.

Where can families get help with air travel?

The ACS Air Miles program is a joint effort between Mercy Medical Airlift (MMA)/National Patient Travel Helpline (NPATH) and the American Cancer Society. The program is designed to help patients with the costs of air travel for cancer-related reasons. MMA is a long-standing non-profit member of the Air Charity Network. NPATH is a part of MMA that serves as a central clearinghouse for many medical air charities. Call us at 1-800-227-2345 to find out if you are eligible for help with air travel.

Is there any help available for the cost of telephone service?

Help with the cost of basic charges for phone service may be available from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Speak with the eligibility worker in your county department of social services for more information. Families that have problems controlling phone charges may want to think about buying pre-paid calling cards, pre-paid cell phones, or plans with pre-paid minutes. If you call them before you go over your limit, sometimes cell phone carriers will give short-term help so that you can avoid exceeding your cell phone limit for the month.

The Universal Service Administrative Company is another resource that may help if your income is very low. If you visit their Web site at www.usac.org/li/low-income, you can learn more about phone service help that's available in your state. Or you can call 1-888-641-8722 and follow the "low income" prompts.

You may also want to call the American Cancer Society to find out about other local sources of help with telephone service.

What help is available for food and food costs?

Some government programs help with food costs. These programs include the following:

• School meals, such as

• National School Lunch Program
• School Breakfast Program
• Special Milk Program
• Team nutrition

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly called the Food Stamp Program)

• Child and Adult Care Food Program

• Women, Infants and Children (WIC)

• Farmers' Market Nutrition Program
• Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program

• Summer Food Service Program

• Food Distribution, such as the Commodity Supplemental Food Program

These programs are run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. You can learn more about them on their Web site at www.fns.usda.gov/fns/default.htm.

You may also get general help from special funds in your medical center or community, or help from targeted fundraising for you or your family.

How about Internet access?

You may notice that many groups and organizations now have a lot of information on the Internet and may be harder to call or reach in person. When you do call you may find that they encourage you to find the information you need on their Web site. For many groups, this is a way to save money and they can focus funds on services to those in need.

For families who are having financial troubles, Internet access may not be available in the home -- computers and Internet service cost a lot. This may make it seem harder to find what you need.

But Internet access is not usually required to find help -- and there are many kinds of information that are not available on the Internet at all. Because of this, many organizations still provide toll-free phone numbers so that people without Internet service can learn about and ask for services. Don't be embarrassed to tell people that you don't have Internet access or that you can't check their Web site. Finally, if there is something that you must check on the Internet, there are many public libraries that offer free Internet access.

And you can always call us, day or night, to find out about getting the help you need.

Where else can families get financial help?

Most families find it hard to turn to others or to agencies and funds for financial help. Families generally take pride in taking care of their own needs. The extra expenses of a child's cancer may be the first time a family has had problems with money. Families should remember that their problems in such a situation are often short-lived and not unique. In the future, they may be the ones who can offer help to others.

There are many possible sources of help for families who need some extra financial support at this time:

• income assistance for low-income families through Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits (see below)

• income assistance from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program (see below)

• help with treatment-related travel, meals and lodging from public and private programs

• help with basic living costs (like rent, mortgage, insurance premiums, utilities, and telephone) from public and private programs

• help from church, civic, social, and fraternal groups in the community

• general help from special funds in the medical center or community

• help from targeted fundraising for an individual patient or family.

The team social worker may be able to give you more information about resources that might help your family. There are also organizations and written materials that can provide information on fundraising strategies (see "Additional resources").

What are Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits?

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is designed to supplement the income of eligible families with low incomes and limited assets in which there is a disabled individual. Children can qualify if they meet Social Security's definition of disability. To get SSI, your income and assets must fall below a certain level.

Children can qualify if they meet Social Security's definition of disability. Income criteria are checked by the local Social Security Administration office. Disability evaluation specialists at the state Social Security office decide whether or not the child is disabled. Not every child with a cancer diagnoses is considered disabled.

In most states, Medicaid is automatically given to children getting SSI. In others, you must apply for it separately. You can get more information about SSI from the team social worker or from the nearest Social Security Administration office listed in the U.S. Government section of the telephone book. See the "Additional resources" section for more information.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

TANF is a program that replaced the former Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program, administered by the Office of Family Assistance under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. TANF is a grant that helps states provide job opportunities to the people in their welfare programs. A social worker may be able to tell you about your state's plan that is most like the former AFDC plan.

Back to Children Diagnosed with Cancer: Financial and Insurance Issues

Last Medical Review: 04/01/2009
Last Revised: 04/01/2009