How to Get Cancer Treatment Without Existing Insurance

If you or someone you know has recently been diagnosed with cancer, you may be worried how you are going to pay for the expensive hospitals bills that are involved with cancer treatment without insurance. Do not worry; there are ways that you can get treatment for cancer without any insurance.

• Determine how long you have been without insurance. If it has not been more than 60 days you are eligible for COBRA insurance, and it will be considered an extension to your old policy. This means that your cancer diagnoses will not be considered a pre-existing condition.

• If you have a way to pay for your medical bills for the next twelve months, you can sign up for a group insurance policy. Although your cancer diagnoses will be considered a pre-existing condition, this will only make you ineligible for payments related to treatment for twelve months. After this time frame, your cancer treatments will be covered.

• Check with the Medicaid office in the state where you live to see if you meet the income requirements for receiving a Medicaid insurance card. If you are approved, your cancer treatments will be covered in full as long as you go to a hospital or treatment center that accepts this type of medical insurance.

• If you have become disabled due to your cancer diagnoses or another problem that is preventing your from working you may be eligible for Social Security Insurance (SSI), Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Medicare insurance. Although Medicare does not cover 100 percent of services, you can apply for a secondary insurance that is much cheaper than standard insurance rates.

• Call the Cancer Treatment Center of America and the American Cancer Society to ask what your treatment options are without current insurance. They will be able to let you know where you can go to receive free or low cost cancer treatment centers in your area.

• If you are unable to locate health insurance to cover the cancer treatments that you need, ask a friend or family member to hold a benefit fundraiser for you and your family to help raise the money needed to pay for your cancer treatments.