Sister Diagnosed w/ Breast Cancer & No Insurance

I would check if Medicaid would back pay any medical costs that occur between now and the time she is approved. Often times they go back 1-3 months.

I'm so sorry. Sending positive thoughts to you, your sister and your family.

Sending wishes for a good outcome for your sister.

Good thoughts and wishes for your sister. I don’t know how to advise on the Medicaid issues. I do know that the American Cancer Society has programs to help people who can’t cover the costs of their treatment.

(((Hugs))) to you both.

Every time hubby is prescribed something expensive for his cancer treatment, we are sent to the financial assistance office and they try to find ways to offset the price of his treatments. One shot that he has to have very six months costs over $27,000. Our share of that is around $450. Then his daily meds are pretty high too. They found a program that pays for it. It was totally unbelievable.

Your sister needs to contact her oncologist and get started on treatment. The sooner the better, as assistance may dry up the longer we go through this pandemic.

My brother was without Insurance when his cancer reoccurred several years ago. His company had let him go when his leave ran out after his first cancer surgery. They rehired him after he recovered, but it took three months for his insurance to kick back in. Unfortunately, the cancer came back within that three months, and he had to have surgery. We were terrified that he was going to be denied treatment, but he never was. It was a pain in the ass – do not get me wrong! The biggest headache was getting the needed scans. The major radiology place around here stopped giving them to him, because his balance was so high.(If you’re in Austin – it was ARA). He had to go to a different radiology place, which was inconvenient, and the doctor said the scans not nearly as detailed. But he was able to get the surgery, and his doctors never denied treatment or appointments because he did not have insurance or could not pay. Granted, he is WELL over $100,000 in debt. He’s hounded by really ASSHOLE and unscrupulous bill collectors. Several have even told him that he will go to jail if he does not pay. LOL. Caller ID is a beautiful thing. And the amount of bills he gets in the mail could wallpaper a small mansion. He is unable to pay those bills and probably never will. It killed his credit. He may file for bankruptcy someday, but that’s the last thing he’s worried about right now. It really doesn’t affect his quality of life at this point. He got the care he needed.

Recently, he switched over from his private insurance to Medicaid, and there was another gap. He was able to get all of his meds for free (including his chemo, which is something like $25,000 a month). Again – his doctors at Texas Oncology and MD Anderson never denied him an appointment or care.

My point is—it’s going to be terrifying and a pain in the ass. It’s going to put her in an unfathomable amount of debt. It’s the last thing that she should have to worry about right now. But with a lot of phone calls and explaining, she still can get the treatment she needs.

My sister-in-law, who is from New Zealand, has been horrified by this whole experience. They have universal healthcare, and none of this would ever have been an issue there.

This exactly happened when my dad started a chemo pill for his kidney cancer. Wilmot Cancer at Strong in Rochester found a program to pay for it...all of it. Unfortunately it did not help him but it was one expense he did not have to worry about.

I am so sorry you and your family have this added stress for your sister.

Best wishes to her for a great outcome.

I'm thankful that others have the knowledge to help! Keeping your and your sister in my thoughts during this difficult time.

I had breast cancer in 2016. My chemo treatments every 3 weeks were $60,000 each week. My first year of treatment was over $250,000. We spent $10,000 in out of pocket expenses in 2016 and again in 2017. This will most definitely have an economic impact on her and her family. I am not sure where in Texas she is or what her income is but most counties in Texas have a indigent health care program. Google Texas county indigent health care program.

Oh, here's my other plug for the NCI approach - see what tiffanyr wrote - cancer care is expensive.

So here's info on the range for my husband's procedure:



And the invoice we saw from the hospital for surgery and 2 days in a private room was $20,000. So there was a huge difference there and we felt like he got the best care possible.

For radiation, we were back in our home state and a non-NCI and that was $90,000 (you have to have a CT scan every day you are treated, at $3500 each - ugh). It would have been less than half of that at the NCI, but he needed to do it locally. So just some additional info that I hope helps your sister.

Sending prayers for your sister, hope she can get treatment quickly with a good outcome.