Grants help some cancer patients pay for medical care.
The American Cancer Society estimates that 1,530,000 people will learn they have cancer in 2010. Cancer medical care does not come cheap, and even when cancer patients have health insurance, insurance policies may not cover all costs. Many organizations offer grants that help some cancer patients pay for the medical care they need.
Brenda Mehling Cancer Fund
The Brenda Mehling Cancer Fund provides grants to cancer patients ages 18 to 40. According to the fund's website, the typical grant is about $600 and helps cover things like home health-care services, insurance co-pays required for treatment and living expenses such as rent and groceries. They review applications weekly.
Cancer Fund of America
The Cancer Fund of America provides grants to cancer patients to help pay for things like vitamins, liquid nutritional supplements, adult diapers, various medical supplies and non-prescription medications. They refer children with cancer and breast cancer patients to other organizations that provide funding for people with those conditions.
Kelly Anne Dolan Memorial Fund
The Kelly Anne Dolan Memorial Fund provides grants for families with children with serious illnesses, including those with cancer. Families can use funds to pay for things like medical supplements, health insurance co-pays, child care, transportation costs and living expenses. The amount of the grants varies depending on the needs of each family.
National Children's Cancer Society
The National Children's Cancer Society assists families with children with cancer with a variety of expenses, including things like health-insurance premiums, transportation to and from medical treatment, meals during treatment, lodging during treatment and other medical expenses not covered by health insurance. A case manager works closely with families to help them get the assistance they need. The organization may ask families with liquid assets greater than $5,000 to "spend down" those assets before receiving assistance.
United Healthcare Children's Foundation
The United Healthcare Children's Foundation provides grants that cover medical expenses not covered or not fully covered by a child's health-insurance policy when a child has a serious illness such as cancer. Applicants can request assistance with up to five items, such as treatments, medications or medical equipment, prescribed by a physician that are not fully covered by insurance. Patients' families do not receive a check; instead, the United Healthcare Children's Foundation sends the funds directly to the health-care provider.
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