Free Government Grants for Breast Cancer Patients Application – As per reports one in every eight women is diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States of America. This has resulted in huge financial assistance programs and supportive services for those who are affected by breast cancer and are navigating an economic crisis. With the cost of breast cancer treatment rising regularly with each passing day it is no doubt that affected patients are 2.5 times more likely to go bankrupt compared to their counterparts.
Diagnosis for breast cancer can be stressful not only emotionally but financially for low-income families and individuals. Fortunately, there are many resources funded by the government, charities, and nonprofit organizations that help cancer-affected patients survive financially. This is a comprehensive guide that will cover a list of programs that will be of immense support to breast cancer patients.
Highlights of this Post
How To Find Grants For Breast Cancer Patients?
Navigating the complexities of grants and financial assistance programs for breast cancer patients can be intimidating and daunting. However, with careful research and the right approach, you can find a lot of resources that can be of great help for you. Following is the step-by-step process that will help you locate financial assistance programs if you or your close ones are surviving with breast cancer.
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Contact A Healthcare Professional
Breast cancer-affected individuals who are unable to afford the treatment must contact their healthcare professional and discuss their financial concerns. Healthcare professionals often have sites about available financial assistance programs, grants, and resources that can be of great help.
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Contact Your Local Government, Charities And Organizations
The next step is to reach out to local government agencies, cancer support organizations, hospitals, charities, and community centers. These resources are well-connected and can offer you tons of information about available financial assistance programs that are tailored particularly to breast cancer patients.
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Research Multiple Online Resources
The Internet is one of the best tools to find free government grants for breast cancer patients. You need to look for reputable forums and websites that are dedicated to breast Cancer Support.
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Approach Social Workers
Various healthcare facilities with dedicated social workers may assist you in identifying potential financial aid opportunities and grants from government and nonprofit organizations and even guide you throughout the application procedure.
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Reach Out To Supportive Organizations
You can reach out to national as well as international Cancer Support organizations for financial assistance. Such organizations have a comprehensive list of assistance programs and supportive services that can be upgraded for breast cancer patients.
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Attend Support Groups For Breast Cancer Patients
Breast cancer patients can join a support group that can offer valuable insights and emotional support in times of need. You also get insight on how to tap into financial assistance programs funded by the government and nonprofit organizations.
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Review Medical Insurance And Bills
Review your insurance policies and medical bills meticulously. It is important to understand your health insurance coverage and make sure about the treatments or services that are covered by your insurance plan. There may be billing errors that can add unnecessary strain to your pocket.
Eligibility Criteria And Documents Required To Receive Grants For Best Cancer Patients
The government and nonprofit organizations help breast cancer patients financially provided they can meet the eligibility criteria of the program. The organizations make sure needy individuals who request help can get assistance and the funds are used for the right purpose.
The eligibility criteria require you to meet the following criteria
- Age
- Income
- Disability or medical condition set by the program
- Be in active treatment.
Generally, candidates who have a household income less than 300% to 500% of the Federal poverty level are eligible to receive assistance. You are also required to give proof of your medical condition. Before the funds are provided you need to offer the necessary documents such as the following:
- Copy of your state-issued picture ID
- A signed and dated letter from your employer to give proof of your current employment or leave status
- A signed and dated letter to verify the breast cancer diagnosis and treatment from an oncologist, licensed social worker, nurse navigator, and patient navigator
- Medical information form along with contact details for the medical treatment team
- Copies of pay stub
- Federal tax return
- Financial disclosure form
- Rental or lease agreements
- Copies of bills that you need assistance with.
What Are The Available Government Grants For Breast Cancer Patients?
There are several free government grants for low income families that play a critical role in supporting the lives of needy breast cancer patients in their medical journey. The programs are designed to help them access better healthcare options and offer them needed financial aid with the ability to fit in as well. Explore the following key government financial assistance programs for breast cancer-affected patients.
The joint federal and state program Medicaid offers health insurance coverage to eligible low-income candidates including patients living with breast cancer. The eligibility criteria and the medical coverage may vary depending on your state of residence.
However, the Medicaid program will cover the essential medical expenses such as hospital stays, doctor visits, and prescription medicines. The Medicaid program in 2021 offered essential supportive services to around 15% of the breast cancer-affected patients in the USA.
The federally funded program Social Security Disability Insurance offers disability benefits to candidates who are not working because of disability including breast cancer. The eligibility criteria will be determined based on the severity of the disability or cancer and work history.
As per reports, around 31% of breast cancer-affected patients relied on Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits in 2021 to receive financial support for their treatment.
Another federal program known as Supplemental Security Income offers financial assistance to disabled individuals, low-income families, and breast cancer-affected individuals.
The program offers monthly cash payments to help disabled, seniors, and breast cancer-affected patients to cover their basic needs like shelter, food, and clothing.
No matter whether you are looking for grants for senior citizens or government grants for breast cancer patients, applying for the Supplemental Security Income will be the right choice.
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State-Specific Government Programs
A lot of states offer financial assistance programs and supportive services for breast cancer patients. For instance, Temporary Disability Benefits provided by the state government and state-funded healthcare coverage.
The availability and eligibility criteria of the programs may vary depending from one state to another therefore you need to check with the health department or social service agency of your state to obtain more information about grants and assistance programs for breast cancer patients.
Health insurance marketplaces established by the Affordable Care Act enabled families and individuals to buy private health insurance plans if they fail to qualify for federally funded health insurance programs.
Based on your income you can qualify for subsidies that result in low-cost coverage. The open enrollment period generally occurs every year however special enrollment periods may be accessible for candidates who are experiencing life-changing events or consequences including breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Rent And Housing Assistance For Breast Cancer Patients
Many breast cancer patients navigate housing-associated financial challenges at the time of their treatment process. Fortunately, there are government grants for struggling families that cover all needy residents of the USA including those affected by breast cancer.
Grants, financial aid opportunities, and temporary housing programs from the government as well as nonprofit organizations will cover the housing costs on behalf of the cancer patients. Some of the resources that can guarantee stable and secure housing to cancer-affected patients so that they can focus only on their recovery are as follow
The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program sponsored by HUD covers low income citizens including those suffering from breast cancer and helps them to pay their rent. The program offers rental vouchers to eligible candidates so that they can get a safe and secure dwelling. Eligible candidates have to pay around 30% of their monthly income towards rent and utility payments while the difference will be covered by HUD.
There are many other housing programs designed by the HUD such as the following-
- HOME, HOME Investment Partnership Program
- FSS, Family Self-Sufficiency Program
- Section 202 Supportive Housing For The Elderly Program
- Indian Housing Block Grant Program
- Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities.
Utility Assistance
While juggling finances to cover breast cancer care a lot of cancer-affected patients face difficulty in covering their utility bills. Usually, assistance for breast cancer patients refers to free monetary assistance that helps them cover the cost of utilities in their home including paying for energy repairs and home energy costs. By being eligible for utility assistance government programs you can take your financial burden off your shoulders and focus only on your treatment.
Utility assistance by the US Department of Energy is provided to needy residents of America through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. You need to navigate breast cancer and be eligible to receive assistance under this program. The program will help to make your home energy efficient and reduce your home costs.
Breast cancer patients who are going through financial hardship and finding it difficult to pay for their utility bills or make necessary updates in their home can apply for the Weatherization Assistance Program. WAP assists financially challenged individuals by making their homes energy efficient and by lowering their utility bills.
Apart from the government assistance programs, two more resources offer financial utility assistance to breast cancer patients such as the Pink Fund and Cancer Horizons. You can also dial 211 to receive utility assistance for needy purest cancer patients.
Free And Low-Cost Mammograms
Mammograms can be a costly expense for breast cancer affected individuals however it is important for early breast cancer detection. Fortunately, some programs and organizations offer assistance to breast cancer patients and help them with free or low-cost mammograms so that they can improve their breast health.
The NBCCEDP program funded by the Centers For Disease Control And Prevention offers low-cost or free mammograms including cervical cancer screenings to women who can meet the age and income criteria of the program. The program reaches out to underserved populations and ensures breast cancer screenings are open and accessible to all.
The breast care helpline by Susan G. Komen assists individuals to find suitable local resources and avail free or low-cost mammograms. They have a dedicated team that offers guidance and information on health breast cancer-affected individuals can locate access to screening services in their local area
Prescription And Breast Cancer Treatment Assistance
As the cost of cancer medications is rising with each passing day a lot of patients are feeling overwhelmed to afford their treatment. Following are the resources to seek assistance with prescription and treatment.
- Programs like RX Outreach are assisting low-income breast cancer-affected patients to avail financial assistance and get free or discounted prescription costs. It has easy-to-use online sites that list multiple assistance programs for which you can qualify for.
- The Patient Advocate Foundation Copay Relief option offers direct financial support to eligible patients for prescription drug co-payments.
- The Partnership For Prescription Assistance offers eligible breast cancer-affected patients to obtain necessary medicines free of cost or at a discounted rate. You need to be underinsured and uninsured to qualify for this assistance.
- The Healthwell Foundation offers financial support to those suffering from life-threatening or chronic breast cancer disease. Eligible candidates can receive support with copayments or coinsurance, prescription drugs, deductibles, and selected out-of-pocket expenses.
- Needy Meds is another financial assistance program for people who are suffering from breast cancer patients. It offers free drug discount cards and offers up to 80% savings on prescription medicines.
- Different insurance is unable to cover the medicine or has a high deductible then you can use the Drug Discount Card to cover your prescription cost.
- Medicine Assistance Tools can also help breast cancer patients with more resources to cover their prescription assistance.
A lot of pharmaceutical companies are offering drugs to cancer-affected individuals free of charge or at reduced prices. You can find information about the coverage and the reality criteria on the website of every company. Some of the useful resources are
- Astrazeneca
- Lilly Oncology
- Pfizer
- Novartis Pharmaceuticals
- Sanofi Aventis
Organizations And Charities That Help Breast Cancer Patients
Treatment for breast cancer, surgery as well and medical visits can result in huge medical bills and strain your budget in the short and long term. With good financial planning and availing nonprofit and government financial assistance programs you can ease your burden.
The American Cancer Society offers important information, resources, and referrals to numerous community, education, and patient support services. Breast cancer patients can access financial assistance as well as transportation programs by contacting ACS. To reach out to your local American Cancer Society you can contact the national ACS office at 800-227-2345.
Limited financial support for child care, home care, and transportation services is provided by Cancer Care. Breast cancer patients can avail assistance through this resource.You can get help from the foundation, but you have to meet their eligibility criteria. But if you want to contact them then you can call them at 800-813-4673, and get the info on the call that you want to know.
The One Catalyst Foundation offers grants to all USA residents who are navigating economic hardship that is associated with major medical crises such as cancer. Breast cancer patients going through economic hardship can also apply for grants from this foundation. The criteria will be based on the available funding and the financial leader of the applicant. Documentation of finances and medical diagnosis are also required for structure to apply. You need to complete the online form on the official website.
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Good Charity Fund
Good Charity Fund offers financial assistance for the various types of cancer treatments. However, one of them is breast cancer. They want to help the needy people with financial aid and they will get proper cancer treatment. Because cancer treatment is too costly and one cannot afford the money easily. However, their financial assistance program has limited funds. That’s why they review all the applications and make sure the neediest one will benefit from their financial assistance program.
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Association of Community Cancer Centers
Association of Community Cancer Centers is an organization that has a database of cancer treatment centers. You can contact them and get the big database of the cancer centers. From those centers, you will get help for various reasons such as house cleaning, child care, home care, and lots more.
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Cleaning For A Reason
In your house, if there is any cancer patient and you need help cleaning your house, then you can look for the Cleaning for a Reason. This is a non-profit organization that offers help with financial assistance and also provides the main that helps you to clean your house. This organization offers the grant so that cancer patients will live in a clean house because cleanliness is important for them.
The Bright Spot Network provides annual grants to cancer patients throughout the United States of America. The grant offers financial assistance of up to $500 that helps them to cover active treatment.
Candidates who are suffering from cancer including breast cancer and have at least one child below 6 years are eligible to receive assistance. The funds will cover things like childcare, living expenses, health care, and many more facilities. To apply you need to visit the official website and fill out the online application form.
Vital Options International along with its partner associations have formed the Vital Grant program through which it awards financial assistance for housing, food, living expenses, and transportation for cancer-affected patients who are navigating financial hardship and are in serious condition. The financial grant award is based on the financial need of the applicant.
Emergency financial assistance of up to $500 is provided to breast cancer patients through the Pink Aid Pink Purse Grant program to cover active treatment. No matter whether you are looking for assistance to cover your utility bills, cable bills, phone bills, treatment costs, car payments, or transportation this grant program will help you cover your basic needs. Applicants need to earn less than 300% of the federal poverty level to receive assistance.
The national nonprofit organization Angela Andrade Foundation Grant offers monetary assistance of up to $1800 to eligible metastatic breast cancer patients. To receive assistance through this program you need to prove you’re a permanent resident of the United States of America. Financial assistance is provided four times annually based on the funding available in the financial read of the applicant.
The American Cancer Society offers a Hope Lodge program for cancer-affected patients including those who are going through breast cancer treatment. This program gets a homelike environment where both the caregivers and the patients can stay free of cost. The generous offering provided by the foundation reduces the challenges of the patients to find safe and affordable lodging during their challenging treatment process.
One of the remarkable organizations that connects cancer patients with aviation services and volunteer pilots is the Patient Airlift Services. The objective is to offer free air transportation support to patients who require traveling long distances for medical treatment. The organization allows your patients can receive specialized care without adding much pressure to the financial burden.
Access to safe and reliable air travel makes sure breast cancer-infected patients can receive specialized treatment centers even if they are located far away from their homes. The Corporate Angel network is a valuable resource for cancer patients who need to travel by air for their treatment. They offer free flights on corporate jets for eligible cancer patients who are traveling to and from recognized cancer recogment centers.
Breast cancer patients can solve their financial challenges with medical treatments through this coalition of organizations known as the Cancer Financial Assistance Coalition. The coalition offers resource information and advocates for breast cancer patients who want to reduce their financial burden and reduce treatment costs.
Community Action Partnerships or local nonprofit organizations are funded by the federal government to promote self-sufficiency among needy families and they administer a lot of programs such as utility grants for financial assistance, Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Programs for needy residents including breast cancer patients.
The program offers young adult cancer survivors in the United States of America to recover from the financial burden of cancer treatment and offers them grants to cover post-treatment financial needs that are associated with the breast cancer experience.
The organization offers financial management assistance and emergency grants for adults who are suffering from cancer in the Twin Cities metro region. They provide resources and programs for cancer-affected families.
Cancer Legal Care offers confidential and free legal assistance to Minnesotans who are living with cancer. You can handle serious issues associated with disability, finances, insurance, employment, and estate planning through this resource. They can also refer you to organizations, lawyers, and other organizations.
Conclusion
Breast cancer-affected individuals can receive financial aid opportunities in the form of grants and supportive services from the federal and states government social programs and nonprofit organizations. The aforementioned programs will help you to reduce your burden of medical bills, cover your living expenses, and help you in many other ways. Accessing these programs and organizations will help to ease your financial burden and cover the cost of cancer treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to raise money for breast cancer?
It is known to all that breast cancer treatment is too costly. If you are not able to handle the costs of chemotherapy and need a way to reduce its cost, then it is recommended that you call the pharmaceutical company. you can contact the hospitals for the treatment of cancer and apply for grants. You can go there and ask to meet with the financial counselor.
Are There Charities That Help With Breast Cancer grants?
Yes there are lots of organizations, foundations that work on the national and local level, offering help to breast cancer patients. Many of the organizations and foundations come with grant programs that offer help to low-income people and who are suffering from breast cancer. They offer them help with financial help as well as house care, child care, cleanliness of patients as well as the house, and lots of other services.