SPECIAL FEATURE
services. "For certain patients, we can cover airline or train costs and reimburse patients for miles driven," Whiteside says. "We also offer on-site and off-site lodging at reduced rates, complimentary trans- portation services to and from the hospi- tal, and discounted meal tickets." For cancer patients who don't qualify
for travel assistance programs, there are a number of air travel companies that offer
free or
tion services. The Air Charity Network, for example, can help arrange flights for patients in all 50 states. The Corporate Angel Network helps patients fly for free in empty seats on corporate jets.
REMAIN INFORMED
Above all, Whiteside says, patients need to understand their medical coverage, contact their insurance providers when necessary, and know that assistance pro- grams are available to help qualified pa- tients manage their financial issues. "Some cancer patients have policies
with a $200,000 or $500,000 lifetime maximum, but that can be exhausted quickly," she says. "Patients should take those numbers into consideration before starting treatment. Some patients have also been able to negotiate discounts off certain medical charges with their pro- vider to help preserve their lifetime maxi- mum. "It's all about being an informed pa-
tient—the more aware you are up front about the financial aspects of your care, the more comfortable you'll be during treatment."
reduced-fare transporta-
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
The following organizations are among those that help cancer patients with financial, co-pay, medication, and travel costs. Contact them directly to learn about program specifics and eligibility requirements.
General Financial and Co-pay Assistance pÐAmerican Cancer Society, cancer.org or (800) 227-2345
pÐCancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation, cancercarecopay.org or (866) 552-6729
pÐCancer Financial Assistance Coalition, cancerfac.org pÐChronic Disease Fund, cdfund.org or (877) 968-7233 pÐHealthWell Foundation, healthwellfoundation.org or (800) 675-8416 pÐLife Insurance Buyers, Inc., lifeinsurancebuyers.com or call (800) 936-5508 pÐNeedyMeds, Inc., needymeds.com pÐPartnership for Prescription Assistance, pparx.org or (888) 477-2669 pÐPatient Advocate Foundation, patientadvocate.org or (800) 532-5274 pÐPatient Advocate Foundation Co-Pay Relief, copays.org or (866) 512-3861 pÐPatient Services, Inc., patientservicesinc.org or (800) 366-7741 pÐRx Outreach, rxoutreach.org or (800) 769-3880 pÐTogether Rx Access, together-rxaccess.com or (800) 444-4106
Travel and Lodging Assistance pÐAir Care Alliance, aircareall.org or (888) 260-9707 pÐAir Charity Network, aircharitynetwork.org or (877) 621-7177 pÐAir Compassion America, aircompassionamerica.org or (866) 270-9198 pÐAngel Airline Samaritans, angelairlinesamaritans.org or (800) 269-1217 pÐCorporate Angel Network, corpangelnetwork.org or (866) 328-1313 pÐJoe's House, joeshouse.org or (877) 563-7468 p LifeLine Pilots, lifelinepilots.org or (800) 822-7972
pÐNational Association of Hospital Hospitality Houses, nahhh.org or (800) 542-9730
p National Patient Travel Center, patienttravel.org or (800) 296-1217
cfthrive.com
summer 2012 | cancer fighters thrive 33