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Financial Considerations for Cancer Patients · Talking FACS

• 0:01
  Welcome to Talking FACS and thank you for tuning in to Cancer Conversations On Talking FACS,
• 0:06
  a podcast collaboration between the University of Kentucky,
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  Markey Cancer Center and the UK College of Agriculture,
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  Food and Environment's Cooperative Extension Service.
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  We will share with you the latest developments in cancer prevention diagnosis,
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  treatment and research from the experts at Markey Cancer Center.
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  Kentucky's only National Cancer Institute designated Cancer Center.
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  Talking FACS is hosted by the UK Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program.
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  Our educators share research knowledge with individuals,
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  families and communities to improve quality of life.
• 0:41
  Hello and welcome to Cancer Conversations On Talking FACS.
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  This is your host,
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  Doctor Jennifer Hunter,
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  assistant Director for Family Consumer Sciences Extension at the University of Kentucky.
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  Today,
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  I'm pleased to welcome Charles mccann,
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  a patient financial counselor in patient financial services at the University of Kentucky Marquee Cancer Center.
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  Welcome Charles.
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  Hey,
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  how you doing?
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  Good,
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  good.
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  So today we're gonna talk about financial counseling,
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  financial service services that may be available to an individual or family that is coping with a new cancer diagnosis.
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  And one of the things that I've learned through this podcast series and working with Marquis is about all the wrap around services that Markem makes available to,
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  to their patients.
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  And then I've also learned if someone um is not a patient of Marquis,
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  but has been treating at an other cancer center,
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  that there's very similar services at cancer centers across the state.
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  And I assume a across the country.
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  But today,
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  we're specifically going to talk about financial counseling and I wanted to get started with the question of,
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  you know,
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  obviously when someone receives a cancer diagnosis,
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  there's no doubt that they're feeling overwhelmed and that,
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  that they have lots of questions.
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  And probably one of the big questions is how are they going to manage their medical expenses associated with their,
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  with their treatment?
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  Yes,
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  we do have a program is called the Financial Assistance program.
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  It's a UK internal charity program.
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  Um,
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  it's not government funded and it's,
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  it's,
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  it's a very good program actually.
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  Um,
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  you can actually have insurance and still be eligible.
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  It's based on household income and number of people in the household,
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  such as husband,
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  wife and minor Children.
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  You can have other family members such as aunts,
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  uncles,
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  cousins,
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  but they wouldn't be counted as household members.
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  It would just be husband,
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  wife and minor Children,
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  biological or legal.
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  You may have legal custody or guardianship of them.
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  They have to be 17 years of age and younger to be counted as a household member.
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  And if they're over 17,
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  they'll have to be at least still be in high school.
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  And what I've learned about this,
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  you know,
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  being over here in the marquee location because we have different locations throughout the University of Kentucky Hospital.
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  Um and also um we have a location in um UK Samaritan,
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  UK Kentucky Clinic.
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  You can stop by any location.
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  You don't have to be limited to,
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  to marquee just to see me if you just happen to have an appointment in the hospital,
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  you can stop in Pavilion A.
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  We share the desk with registration there.
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  Um We have a location in Pavilion H so we have a different location that service our patients.
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  And what I've learned with this is that a lot of patients they will sit at home and won't,
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  won't allow themselves to be treated for fear of their expenses.
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  So I try to encourage them.
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  That's the one thing that I do is encourage them to just and at least attempt to apply for the for the financial assistance program.
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  It can cover up to 100%.
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  Oh,
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  wow.
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  Well,
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  yes,
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  of your,
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  of your medical expenses,
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  of what your,
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  what your insurance doesn't cover if you've been getting treated and you were not aware of the financial assistance program.
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  We can actually backdate to any active balance that you have.
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  If you are approved.
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  If you qualify,
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  it doesn't matter.
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  It can be 2021 it can be 2020.
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  It can be 2019 as long as it's not in collection,
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  we can backdate that,
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  that approved assistance to any active balance.
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  I said if the financial assistance is primary,
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  say you don't have a,
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  a payer,
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  an insurance payer and your self pay.
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  If the financial assistance is,
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  is primary,
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  it can cover 100% or 80% and you can apply every six months.
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  There's no limitations.
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  So a patient doesn't have to worry about.
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  Well,
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  what am I gonna do a year from now?
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  Or they're telling me that I have to come in for,
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  you know,
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  a week for the next,
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  you know,
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  six months or so forth and so on seven months or eight months,
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  it doesn't matter.
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  You can apply every six months patients to,
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  to go ahead and apply.
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  Yeah,
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  it's amazing to know that programs um out there like that exist because you,
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  you mentioned that oftentimes patients will,
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  will stay at home and they'll be somewhat in fear uh about the cost.
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  And as your role as a patient financial counselor,
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  when you meet with an individual,
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  what are some of the questions that they commonly ask you?
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  How much does this program cost?
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  Do I have to,
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  do I have to pay anything to enroll?
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  And I have to tell them no,
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  it's,
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  it's,
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  uh,
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  like I said,
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  it's UK charity funded.
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  We take down your information and the application is very simple.
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  It's a very simple application.
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  I just basically tell them that,
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  that no,
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  it's,
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  it's of no cost to you.
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  We get the application submitted.
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  I do encourage the patients to call me back because I am not a part of the review process.
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  So I don't know the outcome of the application unless you call me back in maybe two or three weeks.
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  Three or four weeks takes about that long.
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  I haven't called me back and if this hasn't been reviewed,
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  I can email the review team and have them um,
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  review it and get back with me.
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  But that's one of the questions,
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  um,
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  what is the cost?
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  And the other question is how much will I be covered?
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  And so I always like to,
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  you know,
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  explain to the patient,
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  get that out of the way because I've been doing this for actually December will be six years that I've been been in this,
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  this department.
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  And so a lot of times I can get those out before they even ask,
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  but those are,
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  those are a couple of questions to ask.
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  How much does it cost to,
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  to apply?
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  Um,
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  what are,
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  um,
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  how much will I be covered?
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  How long will it,
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  you know,
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  will it cover me?
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  Those are basically the three basic questions that they ask and,
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  and one more,
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  can I still be approved even if I have insurance?
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  Am I still eligible?
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  Right.
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  Right.
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  Kind of thinking about other expenses beyond medical bills that an individual may have,
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  especially if they're having to travel for treatment such as gas or lodging food.
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  Um,
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  those type things if an individual is,
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  is struggling just covering the expenses of being able to get to and from treatment.
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  Are,
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  are there services or programs available to help with those costs?
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  Uh Yes,
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  there are.
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  And I also get,
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  I get those questions a lot too.
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  Is there anything that you can do to assist me with,
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  with,
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  with gas?
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  Because I travel a long ways back and forth and how often,
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  you know,
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  they have to be treated for their um cancer.
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  And so I always encourage them,
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  I ask them,
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  do you know,
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  or have been um assigned to social work?
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  Sometimes they say yes and they say no and then I have to explain to them.
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  Well,
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  you know,
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  you will be assigned a social worker and I'm actually up here on the floor with the social workers and so I can reach out to the social workers and,
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  and,
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  and um ask about a specific patient and it,
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  and they can go meet them at their appointment.
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  And so if they say yes,
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  um I do have a social worker,
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  I ask them,
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  do they know their name?
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  And sometimes they do and sometimes they don't.
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  So I,
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  so the one thing I would like to put out there is get to know your social worker personally.
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  Um She is the person or he is the person that you would want to speak with about these type of resources,
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  whether it be lodging,
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  whether it be gas cars and there are other resources that I'm not familiar with that they do offer,
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  but get to know your social worker.
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  And when you do meet with them,
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  keep their number handy because they're always available.
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  And even if they're out,
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  you know,
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  maybe it's vacation or they are,
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  they can reassign you with another social worker until the social worker you've met with comes back.
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  So they're always available.
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  We've had the opportunity to interview several of the marquee social workers as guests on the podcast.
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  And like I said,
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  at the beginning,
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  I've been so impressed with all of the services that,
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  that marquee is able to offer to their patients and families that that are going through,
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  going through treatment.
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  Charles as we wrap up today,
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  kind of 15 question that came into my mind when I'm thinking about just managing the the financial costs associated with the diagnosis is that obviously a person is going to be off work.
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  Um So they might be missing paychecks or maybe they don't have enough leave or whatever it may be.
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  Um What type of information or recommendations do you make for folks about their employer and short term disability or long term disability?
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  And that's a good question.
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  I actually had to deal with this yesterday.
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  Sometimes the patients will ask uh uh where,
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  where do I go to attempt to apply for short term or long term disability.
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  And that's actually through your employer,
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  if you're not familiar with,
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  with,
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  with that program,
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  check with your HR department,
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  you may be enrolled with so a short term disability and may not know it.
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  And if you're not,
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  it's something that they offer.
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  So you always want to check with your,
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  with your HR department and see what benefits they have to offer and what,
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  you know,
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  the enrollment period,
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  if they do have it,
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  when,
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  when are you eligible to apply for the short term slash long term uh disability?
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  So that's where you wanna go.
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  And I think that's a great reminder for all of our listeners is to be checking in with your hr department.
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  Be aware of the benefits they offer,
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  know what open enrollment is so that you're also preplan for the future summing in case something does happen and you might need those resources available programs,
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  cancer policies there.
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  Uh Sometimes your employer may offer policies for,
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  you know,
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  for the future,
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  you know,
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  you,
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  you just,
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  you just never know and they offer that they offer,
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  you know,
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  cancer policies where you can be reimbursed for,
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  you know,
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  uh expenses related to cancer treatment.
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  So the Financial Assistance program,
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  it,
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  it does have some exclusions.
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  It doesn't cover prescriptions,
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  oral prescriptions.
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  Let's say that uh pills from the pharmacy,
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  right?
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  It doesn't cover that and it doesn't cover dental,
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  it doesn't cover dental.
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  So and those,
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  those are a couple of questions that the patients also asked us about the financial.
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  So I want to put that out there as well,
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  but it does not cover prescriptions.
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  Excellent,
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  good information to keep in mind,
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  Charles.
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  So thank you so much for joining us today and uh sharing with our listeners.
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  Thank you for having me.
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  Appreciate it.
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  Have a great day.
• 11:10
  Thank you for listening to cancer Conversations on talking facts.
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  Our goal is to connect you with the latest advances in cancer research in the commonwealth.
• 11:19
  If you enjoyed today's podcast and have a suggestion for a future show topic,
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  please message us on the UK,
• 11:25
  Marky Cancer Center,
• 11:26
  Facebook page at facebook dot com forward slash UK Mary or visit our website at Mary dot UK Y dot E D U.
• 11:34
  For more information,
• 11:36
  you can find University of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences extension programs at your local extension office or online at F CS dot UK Y dot E D U building Strong Families building Kentucky.
• 11:50
  It starts with us.