No insurance and possibly positive for cancer

mygfmighthaveit

My girlfriend is from massachusetts and recently lost her job with insurance, before she lost insurance she was getting lots of tests to see if she had breast cancer, she is getting more and more pain in her breast and armpit area. Im really scared. She is scared too but wont admit it, I guess im here to ask some questions, Are there free clinics in MA that anyone knows about in western mass? to get mammo's and answers? I dont really know where to go from here. Its hard to do anything without insurance or a job.

poptart213

Not from there, but my friend is going through the same thing. If she hasn't, get her to the local assistance office, where you apply for medicaid,welfare and etc. She may be disqualified for income she made last year, but they can refer you to other programs.  Once she builds up enough bills, they can be taken to the assistance office also, and that increase chances of qualifying. You can always set up a payment plan with hospitals,etc. And some assistance can later be applied to past bills. If she does need surgery, the hospital social worker will also help finding sources of aid. In the meantime, evaluation and treatment should not be delayed. Good luck to you both

LisaAlissa

Depending on how she lost her job, she may be eligible for COBRA benefits.  If so, she should do her best to avoid a gap in insurance coverage by taking the COBRA insurance coverage (Same insurance she had at her job, but no longer subsidized by the employer.).  Check with the state insurance department about availablility of insurance...Massachusetts has a different health care insurance scheme than other states, so she should check into what's available locally.

There is also a federally funded, but locally administed program for breast cancer screening/treatment.  But since the federal funds are limited, in many states, in the cancer wasn't diagnosed through the program, treatment won't be funded through it either.

If she hasn't been diagnosed yet, find out about insurance and program eligibility first, before pursuing a diagnosis.  Then pursue answers to her questions.

HTH,

LisaAlissa

Moderators

Mygfmighthaveit,

You may find some info helpful on the main Breastcancer.org site on Paying for Your Care, including Help for People Without Health Insurance.

Hope this helps!

--The Mods

susan_02143

In MA, if you don't have the Cobra option and qualify for unemployment, you will receive free health insurance through the Mass Connector. Call them on Monday... they are really helpful.

This option is only available in MA, to my knowledge.

*susan* 

Jelson

In Mass there is a specific program for which she might be eligible, the breast and cervical cancer treatment program, it is run through the Mass Department of Health. 

http://www.massresources.org/bcctp.html

Fearless_One

Chances are, she won't be able to afford Cobra.   What about Medicaid?   Is that an option?

fitzdc

COBRA is expensive  - I am on it now, but so much better than having to pay out of pocket for treatment.

Fearless_One

Fitzdc, that's good you can afford it.   Most can't.   For me, if I lost my job, my Cobra would cost more than my rent and I would not have a place to live.

Bren-2007

Please have your friend contact her local health department and ask about the Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program.  The program is for the uninsured and underinsured.  They will pay for all the screening for cancer, and if cancer is found, medicaid will pay for the treatment.

Bren

fitzdc

I  know, I know.... insurance is expensive- I had thought of not going on COBRA due to cost.  I was not implying that it is the only option or the best option, just that it worked for me and might work for others, too.

mygfmighthaveit

Thank you all. Cobbra is not really an option, because health insurance is mandatory in MA.. However we live in ny now because she could not afford to pay rent and other bills in mass right now, her technical address is still in MA but shes staying with me until we figure out what to do, the pain is getting worse everyday, my friend had mentioned to me that theres a place i can do free confidential screenings, but I have a worry with that - If they find something do they report it or anything, also, i know she is very reluctant to ask for help and is almost to scared to find anything out.. But thank you the breast and cervical cancer screening program is what im going to look into now.