Chemotherapy (cont.)
Approximate Costs for Chemotherapy Treatment
It is hard to say how much chemotherapy will cost. It depends on:
- The types and doses of chemotherapy used
- How long and how often chemotherapy is given
- Whether you get chemotherapy at home, in a clinic or office, or during a
hospital stay
- The part of the country where you live
Does my health insurance pay for chemotherapy?
Talk with your health insurance plan about what costs it will pay for.
Questions to ask include:
- What will my insurance pay for?
- Do I or does the doctor's office need to call my insurance company before
each treatment for it to be paid for?
- What do I have to pay for?
- Can I see any doctor I want or do I need to choose from a list of
preferred providers?
- Do I need a written referral to see a specialist?
- Is there a co-pay (money I have to pay) each time I have an
appointment?
- Is there a deductible (certain amount I need to pay) before my insurance
pays?
- Where should I get my prescription drugs?
- Does my insurance pay for all my tests and treatments, whether I am an
inpatient or outpatient?
How can I best work with my insurance plan?
- Read your insurance policy before treatment starts to find out what your
plan will and will not pay for.
- Keep records of all your treatment costs and insurance claims.
- Send your insurance company all the paperwork it asks for. This may
include receipts from doctors' visits, prescriptions, and lab work. Be sure to
also keep copies for your own records.
- As needed, ask for help with the insurance paperwork. You can ask a
friend, family member, social worker, or local group such as a senior
center.
- If your insurance does not pay for something you think it should, find out
why the plan refused to pay. Then talk with your doctor or nurse about what to
do next. He or she may suggest ways to appeal the decision or other actions to
take.
