Financial Assistance for Mesothelioma

Financial Assistance for Mesothelioma

There are many different types of financial assistance available for those who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, rare cancer which occurs in workers who have been exposed to asbestos. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSI); private disability insurance; health insurance; clinical trials; and workers’ compensation benefits are all viable financial assistance for mesothelioma patients. Funds created by private individuals, as well as by corporations, provide money for research into treatment, cures, and prevention. Furthermore, some individuals choose to pursue legal recompense, bringing suit against the manufacturers and employers who may have been responsible for their asbestos exposure.

There are a number of funds and foundations in the private sector, established by mesothelioma sufferers and their families. These organizations raise funds to help those suffering from the disease to pay for treatment, medication, and even living expenses that they cannot otherwise afford. Foundations such as the Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America fund laboratories that work hard to develop, among other things, drugs that can help mesothelioma patients. Among the Foundation’s accomplishments, the Chairman of the Medical Advisory Board is developing a drug called Veglin to help mesothelioma patients; funds for its development and progression through FDA trials towards approval came strictly from the Foundation. Other organizations such as the Mesothelioma Treatment Centers support mesothelioma research, provide patients with both financial and legal assistance, and provide access to the best doctors and patient care for those afflicted with mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a devastating disease that can take an extensive emotional toll as well as a devastating financial one. The mission of these organizations is to learn as much about mesothelioma as possible and to ease the physical pain, emotional burden and financial drains on those who have been diagnosed with it.

There are government-sponsored programs, such as Social Security Disability Insurance—SSI—that pay benefits to disabled workers, their spouses, and their dependent children. SSI also helps disabled widows, widowers, and adult children of retired or deceased workers by providing benefits to help them through the financial difficulties that come with mesothelioma. To find out more, visit your nearest Social Security office or visit their website, www.ssa.gov.

Private disability insurance is a policy or policies taken out by the patient or the patient’s family, or that the patient obtained through his or her job, whose benefits payout to replace a percentage of the worker’s normal wages when the insured is unable to work. Normally the insurance company requires a medical explanation from the insured’s physician; in the case of mesothelioma, there is usually little resistance to paying out the benefits.

Health insurance policies, both purchased privately or those employer-provided sometimes can help pay for some of the costs associated with mesotheliomas, like diagnostic testing, some treatments, and some prescription medications. The patient should look very closely at his or her health insurance policy because often diagnosis such as mesothelioma and other asbestos-related cancers are explicitly excluded in the policy’s coverage.

Many drug companies, hospitals, researchers, and physicians take part in clinical trials. Sponsors of the trial will usually cover the costs related to the treatment, as well as a few related costs, such as travel costs if the patient has to travel extensively to receive the treatment. Other times, some of the costs of participating in such a clinical trial may be covered in the patient’s health insurance. In this situation, it is also a good idea to discuss your financial situation with one of the representatives from the research team. It may be possible that he or she can discuss the details of health plan coverage as it relates to mesothelioma and its related treatments.

Because mesothelioma is a disease most likely caused by asbestos in the workplace, those whose disease developed on the job or as a direct result of it may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. These benefits usually pay for medical expenses and a part of the injured worker’s pay while the worker is disabled. Workers’ compensation benefits are in addition to those you may be owed from the company directly.