Mesothelioma Financial Assistance

Treating mesothelioma is expensive. You want the best care possible, but costs can be prohibitive. Financial help is available if you know where to look. We’ve compiled a list of mesothelioma financial resources for patients and their families.

DOWNLOAD FREE MESOTHELIOMA CARE GUIDE

Mesothelioma Help Center provides information about mesothelioma diagnosis, treatment, and financial and legal assistance. On this site you can learn about asbestos exposure and the different types of mesothelioma, connect with local mesothelioma medical experts, and find ways to pay for treatment.

Mesothelioma Treatment Costs

Even if you have the physical and mental strength to fight mesothelioma, the disease’s financial burden can be overwhelming. It’s not uncommon for treatment costs to reach hundreds of thousands of dollars or even a million dollars or more. But we can help you find ways to pay for the care you need.

The most common mesothelioma treatments include chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy. Costs vary by patients but typically run:

$30,000 - $50,000 for an 8-week round of chemo
$30,000 - $40,000 per surgical procedure
$8,000 - $12,000 per radiation treatment course

For patients who require multiple rounds of treatment, costs will continue to grow. There are also medical costs such as:

Prescription medication
Follow-up doctor visits
Imaging tests and other screenings
Biopsies
Lab tests

In addition to these costs, there are many hidden or unforeseen expenses that patients may not initially anticipate. They include:

Travel to and from cancer centers
Lodging, meals, and car rental while traveling
Caregivers and counselors
Lost income due to an inability to work

Patients may also wish to pursue alternative treatments like:

Acupuncture
Homeopathy
Reiki
Massage
Dietary supplements
Yoga and other mind-body practices
Creative therapy

The more comprehensive your mesothelioma treatment, the less likely your health insurance is to pick up the entire bill—assuming you have insurance. Many Americans have no health insurance or are underinsured.

You shouldn’t have to choose between monetary considerations and your health. By obtaining financial assistance for your mesothelioma, you may not have to.

Financial Assistance Options

Financial assistance for mesothelioma treatment is available from many different public and private sources. Depending on the source, you might be able to get money to pay for specific treatment costs, obtain a lump sum payment, or receive free or discounted services. We recommend that you pursue financial help from multiple sources in order to meet your needs.

Some of the entities that offer financial assistance to mesothelioma patients are listed below. The list, while not exhaustive, is a good starting point for those looking to reduce their disease cost burden.

Non-Profit Organizations

These groups raise money that they put towards providing financial and other support to people with cancer.

Charities

These are entities that make it their primary goal to assist those suffering from cancer with their financial and practical needs. These non-profit groups raise funds to help people with cancer and mesothelioma cope with their ailment and to help them cover the expenses that come with living with such a disease.

CancerCare

Cancer Care offers free counseling, support, and education, as well as financial and co-pay assistance, to cancer patients and their caregivers and loved ones. Their website has a section dedicated to mesothelioma.

Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF)

The Patient Advocacy Foundation provides patients with arbitration, mediation, and negotiation to settle issues involving care and medical debt.

Grants

Companies that offer grants to mesothelioma patients help to cover not only the cost of some treatments but also to cover other expenses that include travel costs to get to a mesothelioma specialist, and other similar expenditures. Some grants also offer funds to help patients cover basic needs such as rent, utilities, and the like.

Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (MARF)

The Meso Foundation is dedicated to ending the suffering caused by mesothelioma. In addition to providing research funding, MARF offers financial assistance to patients.

Government

The government has a number of programs that help people who can’t afford healthcare costs.

Health Resources and Service Administration

HRSA’s Bureau of Primary Health Care gives money to medical centers that offer healthcare to low-income patients.

Medicaid

Medicaid is a federal and state health insurance plan that covers medical costs for those unable to afford healthcare. If you were diagnosed with mesothelioma, you may qualify for Medicaid benefits.

National Organizations

These are non-profit entities that are similar to charity groups but focus more on research with some of the funds that are raised diverted to financial assistance for cancer patients.

HealthWell Foundation

The HealthWell Foundation provides assistance with prescription copays, health insurance premiums, deductibles, coinsurance, and travel costs for cancer patients.

Corporate Angel Network (CAN)

The Corporate Angel Network provides cancer patients with free flights to treatment centers nationwide. Qualified patients are matched with empty seats on corporate aircraft.

Trust Frunds

Asbestos companies that went bankrupt from personal injury lawsuits were ordered by courts to put money into trust funds. There is more than $30 billion in asbestos trust funds. To access this money, mesothelioma patients must be able to prove that they were exposed to a company’s asbestos products. Professional legal assistance can improve your chances of filing a successful trust fund claim.

Other Types Of Assistance

The following organizations provide assistance with lodging, transportation, nutrition, and other treatment-related costs.

Cancer Financial Assistance Coalition (CFAC)

CFAC does not directly give patients financial help, but it directs them to organizations providing financial and practical support for cancer patients.

Hope Lodges

Funded by the American Cancer Society, Hope Lodge offers cancer patients and their caregivers a free place to stay when they are traveling to another city for treatment.

Download Our Free Mesothelioma Guide

More information about financial assistance is available in our Mesothelioma Help Center Care Book. This free guide provides information about the disease, treatment options, how to access financial and legal resources, answers to frequently asked questions, and other mesothelioma topics. Download as a PDF file for easy access on your digital devices.