by Life Credit Company | Dec 20, 2014 | Financial Assistance for Cancer Patients
As Anton Chekov once put it, anyone can survive a crisis; it’s the day to day living that wears you down. And cancer patients need help to prevent the day to day from wearing you down as well as the heroic efforts to survive the crisis. During this time, help for cancer patients comes in many different forms. We’ve looked at how to manage your medical bills in a couple of previous blogs. What about the rest of your life? Fortunately, there are organizations that provide communication tools, meal scheduling, planners and other services for patients that could use a little help. Communicating with Friends and Family One of the most popular organizations, Caringbridge.org, offers a journal format for those battling cancer to post, with a comment forum. It offers the obvious convenience of a central place for information, alleviating the need to tell loved ones news again and again. As some have attested, it also provides a unique writing experience, and several people comment that they can share things that would otherwise be hard to tell people face to face. Mylifeline.org and CarePages.com offer variations on the same idea, a place to share news, thoughts and feelings. A somewhat different communication site is Navigatingcancer.com with a greater focus on cancer resources. Understanding and Planning Cancerplanning101.org offers planners, as you might expect, but it also offers a wealth of information on defining cancer terms, things to ask your doctor, and many other topics. Meal and Medication Scheduling Made Easy Lotsahelpinghands.com is an interesting spin on coordinating care, meals and lots of other things. Patients and relatives use it as... read more
by Life Credit Company | Dec 17, 2014 | Financial Assistance for Cancer Patients
When someone mentions innovation in cancer, almost everyone thinks, “cure,” or “treatment.” But there are many other innovations that have to do with cancer’s impact, from innovations in care giving to financial help for cancer patients such as loans against life insurance policies. Here’s one area you’ll probably agree is ripe for innovation: organizing your medical bills. Are You Cut Out for Managing Medical Bills? In our previous post we looked at ways to get organized. But let’s cut to the chase: are you personally cut out for this? Do you teeter between scolding yourself for not being more organized, on the one hand, and on the other just wishing you could get that medical bill monkey off your back? Do you find yourself wishing you could focus on things that are more important, like living life to the fullest? Maybe you’ve decided that a central lesson of cancer is that, once and for all, you’re going to become the most organized person on the planet. If that works for you—great. But we think that those of us saddled with these bills shouldn’t beat ourselves up for failing to be an expert in medical bill management. (This includes reviewing, tracking, contesting and paying huge numbers of bills.) Sure, you’ve probably heard a gazillion solutions from friends and relatives: make lists, use online tools, keep a calendar, etc., etc., etc. The stack of suggestions might be overwhelming. A Solution For You Here’s an idea. One big reaction to a cancer diagnosis for a loved one is a reflexive desire to help. Yet many people just can’t do the care giving... read more
by Life Credit Company | Nov 25, 2014 | Financial Assistance for Cancer Patients
Everyone knows cancer is costly—and getting money for cancer patients is critical. Here’s one way to guard your resources: get super organized when it comes to medical bills; it could result in big savings. As anyone who has had a lengthy illness, or even a short term health issue, there are bills and then there are those documents that say, “this is not a bill,” but rather an explanation of benefits or EOB. Medical bills aren’t like credit card statements or any other type of bill for a service, where you get one tidy monthly amount you owe. Instead, bills for one event—a hospital stay for some surgery, for example—come flying in from many different providers. The anesthesiologist will bill separately from the radiologist, as will the surgeon and others. One event, many bills. Organizing Your Medical Bills You might want to track events and bills on a spreadsheet, noting dates for services provided, when claims were filed, etc. There are also reimbursements from insurance companies that need to be matched to bills you paid for. But a spreadsheet cannot replace a well-organized file system grouping items that are unresolved, those that are resolved, and so on. One solution is to create a tickler file, a set of folders (and you can do this on the computer as well) with dates, where you put notes about events you expect to have happen in the future. Accuracy Counts Consult your accountant; they may advise recording expenses to get care (including money spent on travel, meal and lodging) and any other costs related to cancer treatment. But perhaps the biggest cost savings... read more
by Life Credit Company | Nov 7, 2014 | Financial Assistance for Cancer Patients
Someone who has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer faces many decisions and questions. A frequent one is, how do I prepare financially? There are many places that can help breast cancer patients find financial help. Here are four suggestions: The American Cancer Society The Susan G. Komen Foundation The National Breast Cancer Foundation And the Breast Cancer Research Foundation Other donation sites can be found through searching online. There’s an entire culture beyond the foundations dedicated to helping people with the disease. There are also breast cancer boot camps for people wanting to get back in shape, such as the Beat Cancer Boot Camp. What will you discover about the support culture? Reach out to others and see what they’ve found. Breast cancer can be terrifying, but it doesn’t have to be faced alone. Life Credit CompanyWe are a licensed consumer lender that is dedicated to providing financial assistance for patients who are facing serious illness. With a Living Benefit Loan, from Life Credit Company, you can receive up to 50% of your life insurance policy’s death benefit today. Whether you need to catch up on medical bills, consolidate debt or take your family on a dream vacation, this is your money to spend without restrictions. If you have at least $75,000 of life insurance and have been diagnosed with cancer or other serious medical condition, you may qualify for a loan. Contact us today to speak with a professional counselor who is standing by to assist you.More Posts Follow... read more
by Life Credit Company | Nov 4, 2014 | Financial Assistance for Cancer Patients
Retired federal employees who have been diagnosed with cancer or another serious illness may wonder: can you borrow from your FEGLI policy? As every federal employee knows, FEGLI, the Federal Employee Group Life Insurance Program, is famous for its virtues and its limitations. However, it is possible to borrow money from your FEGLI policy. FEGLI Policy Limitations One major limitation is that the amount of life insurance coverage is fixed once the federal employee retires. People go through life changes that would suggest coverage should fluctuate, where a reduction in the size of the coverage makes sense. From going through a divorce, or having their spouse pass away to having their children grow up, coverage that was once vital for the continued support of a family may no longer be needed. The problem is, the policyholder is stuck paying for coverage they don’t need. And the retiree can’t cancel the insurance policy, regardless of circumstances. If the policyholder has a serious financial problem—like trying to cover the costs of medical treatment, maintaining the policy can be difficult. FEGLI Loans: The Silver Lining Here’s one virtue: If the policyholder meets certain criteria, they may be eligible for a loan against the FEGLI policy. It’s a loan where no payments need to be made; the repayment is handled from the proceeds of the death benefit. And they can use the loan for any purpose; it’s up to them. In that case, the extra insurance coverage, that might otherwise feel like a burden, can be important to determining the possible size of the loan. A negative becomes a positive. If you were... read more
by Life Credit Company | Oct 17, 2014 | Financial Assistance for Cancer Patients
Because it comes in many forms, a cancer diagnosis can be anything from upsetting to devastating. It’s a time for reflection, planning, and for living. Unfortunately, it’s also a time for additional expenses. Even those who have the best of health insurance plans may be considering loans for cancer patients and other available resources. The Battle on Two Fronts On a policy level, the war against cancer was first declared back in the early 1970s, and it’s been fought every day since then. But on a personal level the effort looks very different. While we and our closest relatives and friends may be focused on a cure, focused on living to the fullest, and on some days simply focused on getting to the next good day, expenses can mount up as an annoying distraction, or worse. And the expenses can be a nasty surprise. Before we get sick, “copay” might sound like paying our fair share. But the reality of expensive drugs can turn the meaning of that term into a dreaded burden. Then we discover a whole host of expenses we never thought about that just don’t happen to be covered by our insurance. There can be travel for care, added caregivers, lost wages. Some of these can be vital to our health. And some, like those trips we always wanted to take or people we wanted to see, can be vital to our well-being. How can you reduce the number of fronts you are faced with and get back to living life? A Solution To Consider For Cancer Patients We have an answer that can help you stay focused... read more
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