Cancer costs money. This feels almost offensive to say, as though reducing a medical crisis to finances is crass or beside the point. But for millions of people, the financial stress of cancer is as real and as devastating as the physical illness itself — and it is talked about far less than it should be.
You may be facing lost wages from missed work during treatment. Medical bills that arrive faster than you can process them. Insurance denials for treatments your doctor has recommended. The cost of medications, transportation, childcare, home help. The impossible math of figuring out how to pay for all of it while also being too sick to work. Financial toxicity — a real medical term for the economic harm caused by cancer — is a crisis within a crisis.
First: you are allowed to feel stressed about money without feeling guilty for thinking about money. This is a basic human need, and ignoring it does not make it go away. The financial aspects of your cancer journey deserve attention, just like the medical aspects do.
Ask your hospital's oncology social worker or patient navigator for help. This is perhaps the most underutilized resource in cancer care. Social workers can connect you with financial assistance programs, help you navigate insurance appeals, identify grants for cancer patients, and point you toward resources you did not know existed. Many hospitals have dedicated financial counselors. Ask for them.
Look into nonprofit organizations. Many cancer-specific organizations — the American Cancer Society, Cancer Care, the Patient Advocate Foundation, and disease-specific groups — offer direct financial assistance, transportation funds, or help paying for medications. These programs exist because financial stress is an enormously common part of the cancer experience.
Talk to your employers HR department about your options. In many countries, laws protect workers with serious illnesses from immediate termination and provide options for medical leave, disability accommodations, or partial pay during treatment. Knowing your rights matters.
Do not let financial shame keep you from getting the care you need. If you are skipping treatments, rationing medications, or avoiding medical appointments because of cost, please talk to your care team. They have seen this before, and they can often help find alternatives.
You did not choose to have cancer. You should not have to choose between your health and your financial stability. The system is imperfect, but there is more help available than you may realize. Let someone help you find it.