Medical treatment for cancer is very expensive. It is common for families to have large expenses, especially if their insurance is limited. If you are worried about paying your medical bills, you are not unusual. However, there are important options for you to know about. Don't wait until you are overwhelmed. Remember that your child is a pediatric oncology patient at Hershey Medical Center and that there is special funding for medical treatment. You may be eligible for it just as so many other families are.

Your goal is to:

• get whatever help you need to pay the expenses associated with this illness.

What You Can Do To Help

It is important that you deal with financial problems early-before they become a crisis. Don't put it off. The earlier you start working on this problem, the easier it will be to solve. If you talk to the people you owe money to before it becomes a crisis, they are usually willing to work with you. Following is a list of things that you can do to help solve this problem.

• Apply to Four Diamonds Fund The Four Diamonds Fund helps families of young persons with cancer pay their hospital and medical bills incurred at the Hershey Medical Center. The young person must be diagnosed before age 21 and be a dependent. He or she remains eligible for this funding until age 25. After you complete the application, a financial counselor will review the information and determine if you are eligible to receive this funding.
  
  • Talk with the social worker about submitting your application to the Four Diamonds Fund. Social workers are the best source of information about how to get help with medical expenses and who qualifies for help. They will give you an application form and explain the program.
    
  • Family Financial Participation (FFP) means that you have enough income and assets to help to cover the costs of the medical and hospital expenses. If you are assessed as eligible for Family Financial Participation, then you will need to pay that portion before the Four Diamonds Fund takes over and pays the remainder of the bills.
    
  • If you are not assessed as eligible for Family Financial Participation, then the Four Diamonds Fund will cover bills not paid by insurance.
    
  • Hospital bills will be submitted automatically to the Four Diamonds Fund by the Patient Accounts Department. If you have major medical coverage, then you yourself must submit physician bills to collect your insurance benefits.

  Get help with insurance billing forms Many insurance forms can be confusing and difficult to complete. Putting them aside can add to your stress. Here are two helpful suggestions on completing these important forms.
  

  • Meet with financial counselors at the hospital who will help you answer questions about bills or about what is covered by your medical and hospital insurance. Turn in your Four Diamonds application and a wage verification from to a financial counselor at the hospital. You will receive a letter within 30 days telling you whether or not you are eligible to receive Four Diamonds coverage.
    
  • Ask a friend or family member who is confident with medical bills and accounts to be responsible for billing.

  Apply for medical assistance

  • Talk with the Insurance Verification Department at Hershey Medical Center who can help you apply for Medical Assistance if your child is in the hospital. The Insurance Verification Department is located on the first floor of the hospital near the gift shop. You can make an appointment or walk in and visit them.
    
  • Contact your County Board of Assistance who can help you apply for Medical Assistance if your child is not in the hospital. Every county has a Board of Assistance that is open five days a week. Look up their number in the blue pages of the telephone book under "County Government." If transportation to their office is a problem, let them know this and ask for help in getting a ride there.

Find out if Social Security Benefits are an option Contact the Social Security Office toll free number 1-800-772-1213 to ask about your eligibility and then to apply for monthly payments from Supplemental Social Insurance (SSI) benefits.

Learn what community resources will help with finances Following is a list of resources that you can explore yourself. They usually have guidelines to decide if you are eligible for help from their funds.

• Ask the American Cancer Society for help with transportation and gas mileage reimbursements. Help with transportation and medication costs is sometimes available for a short time from the American Cancer Society (ACS). Call your local ACS office. Their number is in the white or blue pages of your telephone book. Some of their offices also run volunteer driver programs which can help offset the expense of gas and the wear and tear of driving. Otherwise, they can offer a small amount of money towards mileage and gas.

• Ask the Leukemia Society of America for help with gas mileage reimbursements. The Leukemia Society has special financial help programs. The social worker at the hospital will give you their forms and help you submit them.
  
• Ask the local chapter of the American Red Cross what they can offer, such as financial assistance during emergencies or paying home heating and electric bills. The Red Cross has many different programs for families in times of crisis or financial need. Their number is also in the telephone book.
  
• Use the Blue Pages section of your telephone book, which is usually labeled "A Guide to Human Resources," and call local transportation programs or the county Board of Assistance. The blue pages in your phone book have a section called A Guide to Human Resources. Look through the headings and locate the list of services under Transportation. Call and ask if you and your family are eligible for help with the costs of driving to treatments or paying for buses, cabs, trains, or planes. Some of these services may offer transport that you did not know was available.
  
  Your county's Board of Assistance can also tell you about your eligibility for help through programs such as food stamps, medical assistance cards, or cash assistance.

• Ask social workers, family members, and friends about community groups or churches who help people in financial need because of illness. Some community groups have funds to help members, but others, especially religious groups, have funds to help anyone in need. Talk to members of community organizations about your needs or ask your friends and family to speak to them about what they can offer.
  
• Ask the social worker about financial review programs for drugs or supplies. If you have home IV supplies by Caremark and are having difficulties with payment, inquire about their financial review program.
  
• Gather unpaid household bills to show your immediate financial needs to social workers or case workers at any of the above offices. Gather any unpaid household bills to prepare a brief financial statement to report to any of the above organizations. These include unpaid telephone bills, electric bills, rent, and utilities. Each organization offers help that is slightly different and it's wise to reveal an unmet need, such as the need for help with heating expenses in winter when you want to keep the house especially warm for the young person with cancer.
  
• Meet with social workers about immediate household expenses. Social workers also know how to help you with immediate financial needs, such as unpaid electric or telephone bills. Many times, they can restore these services by describing why you need heat and electricity because of your child's medical conditions.
  
• Talk with all creditors about rearranging financial contracts before collection notices are sent.
• Negotiate worktime with employer
  • Ask social workers to talk with employers. You may find that you need to take quite a bit of time off from work. This challenges the whole family household, especially if you are a two-wage earner family. Many employers are very understanding at this time and help you make arrangements to be away from the job. The social worker can call your employer and verify the difficulties of the situation and speak on your behalf if you are having trouble negotiating time off from work.
    
  • Weigh the pros and cons of different worktime options. Many parents and family members use a mix of strategies to spend time with the young person with cancer at home or in the hospital and still juggle time at work. List your options and look at pros and cons of each possible decision so you can make the best decision for the whole family. For example, you might have to wrestle with whether or not to go part-time or take a leave of absence from work.
    
  • Accept offers of help with worktime and employee benefits from other employees. Don't underestimate how family and coworkers are willing to help. Other people understand many sides of your dilemma about work and are willing to help out. For example, coworkers could donate their lave time so you can continue to receive pay without working.

Possible Obstacles

Think about attitudes or ideas that could prevent you from getting help with medical, hospital, or household expenses.

1. "I feel embarrassed and humiliated to not to be able to pay my bills."
   
   Response: Many people, just like yourself, have been in the same situation. Household expenses have also risen and yours are no exception. Medical expenses are so large nowadays that it is becoming common for many people to have problems paying. You should not feel embarrassed since the problem is not your fault. You will find that almost everyone will be very understanding.
   
   It would help to talk to other parents of young persons with cancer. You'll realize that they've asked for help and overcame any shyness or guilt or embarrassment about needing financial help at this time in their lives.
   
   
2. "I didn't handle money in our family-other people did. So I don't know what to do."
   
   Response: If money matters are new to you, then get help from someone who is familiar with budgets, with paying bills, and with asking for financial assistance. Don't let things drift because then expenses can get out of hand and you will have a greater financial crisis to deal with.

Carrying Out and Adjusting Your Plan

Don't wait! Get started as soon as possible. If you have trouble getting started, ask someone to help you. Talk to a social worker and to financial counselors at the hospital. They have had a great deal of experience with these problems and can often be creative in helping you to deal with them.

If you have problems with insurance or medical forms, ask staff in the doctor's office, or a social worker at the hospital or home-care agency for help.

If your plan doesn't work

If you are having some success, but not as much as you would like, you may be expecting too much progress too soon. Be patient and keep trying. It will often take time to turn things around financially.

If you are feeling worn down by financial problems, ask someone else to help you work out a solution. Sometimes people who are not directly involved can see new ways to deal with the problem.

Social workers are the professionals who have the most experience with these problems. If the social worker whom you talked to was not helpful, ask to talk to another. 

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