Managing Financial and Legal Issues
Cancer treatment can be very expensive, even when you have insurance. You and your family may face major financial challenges. Keeping track of tests and treatments, paperwork, bills, and other records can seem overwhelming. Financial toxicity or financial distress describes problems that you may have related to the cost of treatment.
Tips to manage your costs and medical information
- Understand your costs for treatment, physician bills and clinical trials.
- Understand what happens when you can't work
- Understand your health insurance
- Understand legal issues that may arise
- Track medical information
- Organize medical bills and statements
- Get emotional support
- Seek help with errands and other daily tasks during treatment
We have several resources available to you
- Financial Counselors - Financial support services at City of Hope serve as a problem-solving resource for insurance and financial issues before a particular treatment or service. They provide financial counseling, explanation of benefits and eligibility, out-of-pocket costs, insurance authorization and medical necessity screening.
- Patient Resource Coordinator - Our patient resources coordinator focuses on providing patients and families with practical resources including financial assistance, transportation to appointments, health-care referrals and more. Call 626-256-4673, ext. 32273 for more information.
- Clinical Social Workers - Clinical social workers help you and your family with practical and emotional concerns. They can provide financial benefit guidance including assistance with state and social security disability, and paid family leave benefits.
- The Sheri & Les Biller Patient and Family Resource Center integrates all support services under one umbrella. Located on the Duarte campus, you’ll find a warm, welcoming space to consult with our staff and get connected with the many resources offered to strengthen and empower patients before, during and after treatment.
- Cancer Legal Resource Center (CLRC) - provides information, outreach programs and community activities to educate and to support cancer patients, their families, healthcare professionals and advocates on matters like maintaining employment through treatment, accessing healthcare and government benefits, taking medical leave and estate planning.