Health Insurance and Financial Assistance for the Cancer Patient
TOPICS
- Thinking about money
- Private health plans
- Types of health plans
- Other things to know about health insurance
- How to manage your health insurance
- Getting answers to insurance-related questions
- Keeping records of insurance and medical care costs
- When you have problems paying a medical bill
- Handling a claim denial
- Keeping employer-sponsored health insurance coverage when you leave your job
- COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget and Reconciliation Act of 1986)
- The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)
- The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993
- The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990
- The Affordable Care Act
- Government-funded health plans
- Who regulates insurance plans?
- Options for the uninsured
- State coverage and health insurance options for the hard-to-insure
- Financial issues: Getting help with living expenses
- Getting money from life insurance policies
- Outside sources of financial help
- Disability benefits
- To learn more
- References
Previous Topic
How to manage your health insurance
Getting answers to insurance-related questions
Questions about insurance coverage often come up during treatment. Here are some tips for dealing with insurance-related questions:
- Speak with the insurer or managed care provider’s customer service department.
- Ask the cancer care team social worker for help.
- Talk with a hospital financial counselor.
- Talk with the consumer advocacy office of the government agency that oversees your insurance plan. (See the section “Who regulates insurance plans?”)
- Learn about the insurance laws that protect the public. Call your American Cancer Society Health Insurance Assistance Service. You might also visit http://www.healthcare.gov/using-insurance/understanding/rights/index.html for more information.
Last Medical Review: 09/10/2012
Last Revised: 10/10/2012
