by Life Credit Company | Jul 12, 2018 | Cancer Treatments & Therapies
This is part one of Navigating Cancer Care, a three-part series that will provide cancer treatment basics, including guidance on finding financial assistance for cancer patients. No matter who the patient is, getting the news that you have cancer is a life-changing moment, one that does not come with a roadmap. Few people realistically anticipate ever receiving that diagnosis, so if it does come, most are not only unprepared for what their next steps should be, but also lack an underlying understanding of cancer treatment basics. A measure of awareness about what comes after an initial diagnosis can go a long way toward easing patients’ minds and shedding light on the path forward toward health. So what are some of the cancer treatment basics? Each cancer has to be treated on an individual basis, as the area of the body it is affecting, its level of progression, the person’s age, and many other factors affect a potential treatment plan. In general, however, these are some of the most-common treatment approaches: Surgery: This is often the first line of defense against cancers that have yet to fully metastasize, or spread. There are a range of surgery options, from minor to more invasive, depending on the person’s individual case. Chemotherapy: Perhaps the treatment most publicly associated with cancer, chemotherapy involves the delivery of a drug regimen to attack and kill cancer cells. The therapy is often associated with side effects such as nausea and hair loss, though symptoms vary widely. Radiation Therapy: In this treatment, radiation is used to damage and ultimately kill cancer cells, with the aim of shrinking tumors....
by Life Credit Company | Jun 28, 2018 | Cancer Treatments & Therapies
The financial burden of cancer may be significantly shaping how the disease is affecting Americans, on both individual and societal levels, according to recent research. Nearly one-third of cancer patients are suffering from the financial effects of cancer, a report in the journal Cancer found. The study reported that those who were bearing a financial burden had lower physical- and mental-health outcomes than cancer patients who were financially stable. The financially strapped patients were at an increased risk for depressed mood and for anxiety related to potential cancer recurrence than their counterparts. Overall, the study found that the financial burden of cancer significantly affected patients’ quality of life. The study was on par with other recent research. According to the Washington Post, cancer patients are more likely to declare bankruptcy than those without the disease. Worse still, those patients who do declare bankruptcy are more likely to die from the illness than cancer patients with a better financial prognosis. What can be done to combat these frightening statistics? The problem is a multi-pronged one, as costs add up for cancer patients on many fronts, from treatments to prescription drugs to lifestyle factors, such as reduced working hours or increased need for childcare. That’s why an individualized approach to reducing the financial burden of cancer can be helpful. One option is using one’s life insurance policy, such as through Life Credit’s Living Benefit Loan program. Through this effort, patients can borrow against their life insurance policy for any number of needs—to buy their medications, to pay for life-saving treatments, or to settle bills that added up because of lost wages....
by Life Credit Company | Apr 19, 2018 | Cancer Treatments & Therapies
When facing mounting debt, some cancer patients and their families may begin to explore the best way to convert life insurance into cash and supplement their dwindling income. Some consider taking advantage of a life insurance conversion credit and switching their policy from term life to whole life, others explore medical and cancer loan options. Medical emergencies or cancer treatments often leave people unable to work or forced to work fewer hours, leading to reduced pay. Paying necessary bills like mortgage or rent become a major roadblock to recovery. On top of shifting lifestyle changes, cancer, serious illness, and many medical conditions often come with hefty price tags. If you are in need of financial assistance, how can you convert life insurance into cash and get relief from a financial crisis? 1. Use your policy’s benefit riders. Life insurance is generally considered a way to protect one’s assets and beneficiaries after death, but in some cases, its value can be maximized while a person is still living. If your policy contains a benefit rider, such as accelerated death, accidental death, or disability income, then your insurance company may allow you to draw cash advances from the amount you have paid into a policy. The type of policy you have will play a major role in how you can convert your life insurance policy into cash. Cash advances and allowances are typically only used for permanent, or whole life policies. 2. Take advantage of a term life insurance conversion credit If you have a term life insurance policy you may consider asking your insurance company about a life insurance conversion credit and switching to a whole life policy...
by Life Credit Company | Aug 24, 2017 | Cancer Treatments & Therapies
More than 3-million Americans are diagnosed every year with non-melanoma skin cancer. While the numbers are staggering, the survival rate for most skin cancers is high, with new therapies emerging to help patients overcome cancer with minimal, lasting impact. One such treatment is Superficial Radiotherapy, which, as its name suggests, provides skin-deep treatment that attacks non-melanoma cancer cells. The procedure is quick, virtually painless and often affordable, allowing money for cancer patients’ care to stay in their own pockets instead of going to hefty hospital bills. But, SRT may not be right for everyone. What is SRT? SRT is most often used to treat basal and squamous cell cancers, which are not forms of melanoma, a more serious type of skin cancer. SRT uses low doses of radiation to kill the cancer cells. The treatment takes only about 30 seconds, and is delivered once or twice a week for several weeks. Pros of SRT SRT can be performed in a doctor’s office, eliminating the need for a hospital visit. The treatment lessens the risk of scarring that’s often associated with the Mohs procedure, in which skin is removed layer by layer. There are relatively few side effects associated with SRT, except for some mild redness and irritation. SRT is typically a low-cost alternative to other treatments. The treatment is especially beneficial for people who face risks with surgery or who shouldn’t undergo anesthesia. Cons of SRT SRT is not as thorough as Mohs, which is still considered the front-line defense against non-melanoma skin cancer. The doses of radiation associated with SRT could increase the risk of recurrence of skin...
by Life Credit Company | Jun 29, 2017 | Cancer Treatments & Therapies
Tanning beds are costing Americans much more than the sticker price. Artificial tanning has long been linked to increased risk for skin cancer. A new study, however, found that those stats don’t seem to be deterring people from flocking to tanning salons. So, what will slow that trend? Researchers at the University of North Carolina explored the economic impact of skin cancer that could have developed from artificial tanning, with some staggering results. What are the numbers? Researchers looked at the lifestyles of Americans diagnosed with skin cancer in 2015 to determine how prevalent “fake tanning” was. They ultimately suggested that there were as many as 263,000 cases of skin cancer in 2015 that could have been caused by artificial tanning. More specifically, there were 168,000 cases of basal cell carcinomas, 86,6000 cases of squamous cell carcinomas and 9,000 incidents of melanoma, all of which could be attributed to tanning devices. From there, they determined it would cost more than $343 million to treat skin cancer patients who contracted the disease after using tanning devices. Even more alarming is the total economic impact of tanning-related cancer on patients over their lifetimes: a loss of $127.3 billion. The steep statistics highlight the need for skin cancer financial assistance, to help patients after a diagnosis, but also the work that lays ahead to discourage Americans from stepping into a tanning device to begin with. What’s next? According to the study, a whopping 30-million Americans use artificial tanning devices every year — and that’s despite very popular knowledge that such practices have been linked to skin cancer. The federal government recently tightened...
by Life Credit Company | Dec 1, 2016 | Cancer Treatments & Therapies
Rehabilitation is an expected aspect of surgeries like knee or hip replacement, as patients work to restore their bodies to full function. But what about patients recovering from cancer-related procedures? Nearly 90 percent of cancer patients who undergo some form of treatment are left with at least one physical impairment, according to OSF HealthCare. Rehabilitation can provide help for cancer patients, but only 60 percent of them seek such an approach — a number that may be on the rise as cancer rehabilitation gains in popularity. After common cancer treatments like chemotherapy, patients may experience memory problems, fatigue, tingling skin and more. Breast-cancer patients, in particular, are at risk for swelling in the arms after treatment or surgery, which can make just moving their arms a chore. That’s where rehabilitation comes in. Cancer rehab can include physical therapy, as well as occupational or speech therapy — whatever area a patient notices a deficit in, he or she can address the issue with rehabilitation. People can seek services at traditional rehabilitation centers or they may instead choose to take part in a program designed specifically to offer help for cancer patients and survivors. For instance, OSF’s Survivorship Training and Rehabilitation effort provides rehab tailored to people bouncing back from a cancer diagnosis: whether they are just starting treatment, recently in remission or still experiencing residual effects years later. In just the last year, OSF’s patient referrals to STAR have doubled. It is renaming the program OSF Cancer Rehabilitation Program in December. BroMenn Medical Center is another resource for cancer rehab — and it’s also seeing growing interest. Twice a month, the...
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