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Our Patient Advocates can help guide you or your loved one through the steps to take after a mesothelioma diagnosis. Our team has a combined experience of more than 30 years in assisting cancer patients, and includes a medical doctor, an oncology registered nurse and a U.S. Navy veteran.
Call Now (855) 404-4592Mesothelioma treatment is expensive, putting many patients at risk of falling into debt. Unpaid medical debt can damage credit scores and consume a family inheritance. In some cases, medical debt can pass to family members after a mesothelioma patient dies.
The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com has provided patients and their loved ones the most updated and reliable information on mesothelioma and asbestos exposure since 2006.
Our team of Patient Advocates includes a medical doctor, a registered nurse, health services administrators, veterans, VA-accredited Claims Agents, an oncology patient navigator and hospice care expert. Their combined expertise means we help any mesothelioma patient or loved one through every step of their cancer journey.
More than 30 contributors, including mesothelioma doctors, survivors, health care professionals and other experts, have peer-reviewed our website and written unique research-driven articles to ensure you get the highest-quality medical and health information.
"My family has only the highest compliment for the assistance and support that we received from The Mesothelioma Center. This is a staff of compassionate and knowledgeable individuals who respect what your family is experiencing and who go the extra mile to make an unfortunate diagnosis less stressful. Information and assistance were provided by The Mesothelioma Center at no cost to our family."LashawnMesothelioma patient’s daughter
Medical debt is part of the terrible legacy of asbestos exposure in America.
Cancer therapies are expensive for all patients in the U.S. The average cost of a major chest surgery is about $40,000, and eight weeks of chemotherapy may cost up to $30,000.
These medical bills often come at the same time the patient can no longer work or when a relative must stop working to become a caregiver.
Research published in 2021 listed three major factors contributing to financial hardship: the cost of cancer treatment, expanding treatment options and longer treatment durations.
The study noted that the changing landscape of health insurance has led to patients paying more out-of-pocket costs for medical care. From 2013 to 2018, cancer drug expenses for patients in the United States has grown 64%, surpassing a total of $57 billion in 2018.
Additionally, the median price of cancer drugs has remained above $150,000 since 2014. Many new cancer drugs are oral targeted agents that doctors prescribe until evidence of disease progression. This extended time frame results in high patient cost over many months or years.
Mesothelioma treatment may be extra costly because of how rare the disease is. Most patients have to travel to another city or even across the country to find doctors familiar with asbestos-related cancer.
All these costs combined can lead to a treatment side effect called financial toxicity. This is when patients feel so much stress over medical bills that cancer therapies become less effective. Part of this stress comes from the fear of going into debt.
A research study published in 2021 found that the three major factors contributing to financial hardship are the cost of cancer treatment, expanding treatment options and a longer duration for receiving treatment.
The study also noted that the changing landscape of health insurance has led to patients paying out-of-pocket for a greater portion of their medical care expenditures. Spending on cancer drugs in the United States has grown 64% from 2013 to 2018, reaching $57 billion in 2018, and the median price of cancer drugs has remained above $150,000 since 2014.
Many of these newly approved cancer drugs are oral targeted agents that are taken until evidence of disease progression resulting in high patient costs over many months or years.
Mesothelioma patients are typically diagnosed after retirement age, so they may fear medical debt will haunt them for the rest of their lives and damage the legacy they leave behind.
According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), more than 40 million Americans have medical debt that is hurting their credit score. This national burden is so heavy because health care is more expensive in the U.S. than in other developed nations.
In 2017, NPR reported annual U.S. health care spending comes out to more than $9,000 per person. Yet, American life expectancy is no better than in most other developed nations where health care is less expensive.
Affordable Care Act regulations try to limit the financial impact of diseases such as cancer. Insurance companies may not put annual or lifetime limits on coverage, and they may not deny coverage to people with cancer.
Unfortunately, many politicians have consistently sought to undermine these protections.
Meanwhile, insurance companies have shifted costs to patients by increasing copays, coinsurance and deductibles. Cancer patients on Medicare also face high out-of-pocket costs.
As the debate over U.S. health care policy continues, cancer treatment is becoming more expensive. New treatments such as immunotherapy hold promise for patients with mesothelioma, but newer drugs are usually more expensive than conventional chemotherapy.
Mesothelioma patients should start financial planning immediately after receiving their diagnosis. Making financial decisions will only become harder once cancer treatment begins.
When a bill goes unpaid, the medical provider’s billing department may send the bill to a debt collection agency. Debt collectors repeatedly call patients and their family members to try to collect the debt. A 2017 CFPB study found more than half of all debt-collection contacts are related to medical debt.
Debt collectors are not allowed to harass people at unreasonable hours or threaten to have them arrested. Debt collectors do have the power to file a lawsuit. Debt collectors may also notify the major credit reporting agencies about unpaid debt.
The credit reporting agencies typically wait six months before adding medical debt to credit reports. This gives patients time to check for medical billing errors. After that, the unpaid debt will lower the patient’s credit score. This makes it harder for the patient to get a credit card, auto loan or mortgage.
Unpaid medical debt may stay on someone’s credit report for up to seven years. Medical debt can be discharged through bankruptcy, but this will also lead to a lower credit score for many years.
Family members generally cannot inherit debts. The biggest risk of dying with medical debt is that family members will receive no inheritance. Laws vary by state, however, and there are many exceptions.
It is best to discuss end-of-life decisions with a lawyer who understands the local laws.
When a person dies, their possessions become part of their “estate.” If the person died with unpaid debts, the debts have to be repaid before the estate passes to the person’s family.
If there is not enough cash in the estate to pay the debts, the property in the estate has to be sold to raise more cash. If the whole estate is not enough to cover all the debts, then the remaining debt is usually written off.
Mesothelioma patients face many expenses, but there are several sources of financial assistance available.
If a patient or family member has already gone into debt because of mesothelioma treatment, they can try to negotiate. Medical providers and debt collectors may be willing to set up a payment plan or forgive part of the debt in exchange for a large, upfront payment.
If the mesothelioma diagnosis traces back to asbestos exposure caused by criminal negligence, legal compensation may cover medical debt.
However, mesothelioma patients and family members must act quickly before statutes of limitations take effect. Medical debt lingers for years, but the opportunity to file a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit may only last a few months.
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If you are looking for mesothelioma support, please contact our Patient Advocates at (855) 404-4592
