Breast Cancer and Financial Support

Breast cancer may bring many unexpected expenses that health insurance does not cover. These costs can include travel, child care, and loss of income from time off work. Many patients and their families end up dipping into savings and taking out loans to cover the charges.

If your breast cancer diagnosis has led to financial instability, know that you’re not alone, and you can seek monetary assistance from nonprofit or government programs.

Nonprofit Assistance

Many individuals have founded nonprofit organizations to help people with cancer receive the resources they need during treatment. Some organizations that offer breast cancer financial assistance include:

• Breast Cancer Assistance Fund: This fund is set up to provide financial aid to women diagnosed with breast cancer.
• Komen Financial Assistance Program: The Susan G. Komen^® organization addresses breast cancer on many fronts, including a financial assistance program.
• The Pink Fund: This fund provides financial help for nonmedical cost-of-living expenses like lost income from job loss.
• Genevieve’s Helping Hands: This charity meets the unique financial needs of women with breast cancer under 40.

Government Support Programs

The government has also set up particular financial assistance programs to help those with medical conditions, including cancer. Here are a few programs that offer financial assistance for breast cancer patients:

• Supplemental Security Income (SSI): This program helps disabled individuals with little to no income. Women with breast cancer can qualify as disabled under the requirements of this program.
• Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI): Any condition lasting more than one year can qualify as a disability under this program, and payments begin six months from the date of disability.
• Compassionate Allowance: This system works to expedite the claim process to three weeks for SSDI for conditions including metastatic breast cancer.

Other Financial Support Options

You can also find financial support from other areas. Here are some additional options for financial assistance for breast cancer:

• Fundraising: You can use an online platform like GoFundMe that allows you to tell your story and raise funds. You can also set up fundraisers in your community through personal fundraisers.
• Gift cards for expenses: Nonprofits like Tenaciously Teal and The Cancer Card Xchange give gift cards for bills like gas and groceries to people living with cancer.
• Medication assistance: Programs like Partnership for Prescription Assistance and Rx Outreach provide free or reduced-cost prescriptions to patients with breast cancer.

Get Help From a Financial Advisor

A breast cancer diagnosis can come with many anxieties, but your finances don’t need to be one of them. If you’re looking for financial help for breast cancer patients, you can use government and nonprofit services to lift your financial burden.

For additional help, you can seek out individual financial services from Fort Pitt Capital Group. We can help you by providing a personalized financial plan for your situation.