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Triage Cancer, Cancer & Health Insurance

Understanding how to choose and use your health insurance is important to access care and manage your finances, especially after being diagnosed with a serious medical condition like cancer. Having adequate health insurance coverage is the first step to minimize the potential financial toxicity of a cancer diagnosis. It is also important to understand how to use your health insurance coverage to keep your costs lower and get the care you need. This page contains legal and practical materials and resources to help you understand and compare your options, what to do when you lose your insurance at work, and appeal denials of coverage.

While these materials are designed for individuals diagnosed with cancer, caregivers, and health care professionals, they are helpful to anyone with a serious medical condition, or anyone who wants to learn about individual marketplace plans, employer-sponsored plans, Medicare, Medicaid, and more.

Browse Resources

  • Health Insurance Basics
  • Picking a Health Insurance Plan
  • Individual Insurance
  • Employer-Sponsored Insurance
  • Medicare
  • Medicaid
  • Military & Veterans Insurance
  • Understanding Health Insurance Coverage
  • Appeals
  • Prescription Drugs
  • Managing Medical Bills
  • Clinical Trials
  • One-on-one Help
  • More Resources

Cancer Finances
CancerFinances.org is an interactive toolkit for navigating finances after cancer. Make informed decisions about health insurance, finances, and cancer, by using visiting our Health Insurance and Navigating Health Insurance modules.

Animated Videos & Webinars

  • Animated Video: Health Insurance Basics(6:51)
  • Webinar: Understanding Health Insurance
  • Webinar: Navigating Insurance & Managing Medical Bills
  • Animated Video: Picking a Health Insurance Plan
  • Animated Video: When an Insurance Company Says No
  • Webinar: Health Insurance Appeals
  • Webinar Series: Steps for Managing Finances & Insurance After a Cancer Diagnosis
    • Ch. 2: Having Adequate Health Insurance
    • Ch. 3: Using Health Insurance Effectively
    • Ch. 4: Employment, Practical, & Personal Costs

Picking a Health Insurance Plan
There are three main places from which individuals get health insurance: directly from a health insurance company; from an employer or other group plan; and from the government, such as through Medicare, Medicaid, and the military. Here are our free resources for helping you find a plan that meets your needs and saves you money!

Charts of State Laws
When you have cancer, understanding state laws related to health insurance is important because sometimes state laws provide more protection than federal laws. Explore our Charts of State Laws Related to Health Insurance.

Individual Insurance
You can purchase an individual health insurance plan directly from an insurance provider or through your state’s Health Insurance Marketplace. The Marketplace is a helpful resource for you to compare insurance plans sold by private insurance companies, find out if you are eligible for financial help or Medicaid, and how consumer protections help you. These resources will help you understand the Marketplace, and more!

More Tools

  • HealthCare.gov – for information about the health insurance Marketplace, and consumer protections
  • Triage Cancer State-Specific Resources

Employer-sponsored Health Insurance
Group health insurance is typically provided through a group that you belong to, such as your employer or a union. Learn what to do if you lose your insurance at work and your options, the difference between “funded” and “self-funded” plans (and why that’s important), consumer protections, tips for picking the right plan, and more!

Quick Guides, Checklists, & Other Resources

  • Health Insurance Comparison Worksheet
  • Quick Guide to Losing Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance
  • Quick Guide to COBRA
  • Quick Guide to High Deductible Health Plans, HSAs, & FSAs
  • Quick Guide to Pre-Authorizations for Individual & Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance
  • Quick Guide to Which Insurance Plan Pays First
  • Quick Guide to Navigating Health Insurance When Moving
  • Checklist: Using Your Health Insurance
  • Checklist to Making the Most of Employee Benefits During Open Enrollment
  • Checklist to Employee Benefits During a Job Search
  • Quick Guide to Health Insurance Marketplaces
  • Quick Guide to Status of State Health Insurance Marketplaces
  • Quick Guide to Health Care Rights of Immigrants
  • Quick Guide to Appeals for Employer-Sponsored & Individual Health Insuranc
  • Health Insurance Appeals Tracking Form
  • Quick Guide to Accessing to Medical Records

Medicare
Medicare is the federal government-sponsored program that provides health insurance to individuals who are 65 or older who are eligible for Social Security retirement benefits, and individuals under the age of 65 who have certain disabilities. Learn about the different “parts” of Medicare, how to get help paying for it, when to sign up and make changes to your coverage, and how to pick the right plan for your needs!
See our Medicare Materials & Resources for Quick Guides, Checklists, animated videos, and more!

Medicaid
Medicaid is a federal government-sponsored health insurance program for individuals with limited assets and low incomes. These free materials and resources will help you understand if you qualify, how to apply, the different Medicaid programs, and more!
See our Medicaid Materials & Resources for Quick Guides, Checklists, animated videos, and more!

Appeals
At some point during cancer treatment, you may experience a denial of coverage from an insurance company, whether for an imaging scan, prescription drug, treatment, procedure, or genetic test. Most people take “no” for an answer. But those who don’t accept the denial, and file an appeal, may actually win and get coverage for the care prescribed by their health care team up to 60% of the time! These free materials and resources demystify an important process that doesn’t have to be out of reach!

Many of our materials and resources are available in Spanish.

September 2, 2024 Filed Under: Financial Assistance

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Disclaimer: These resources are regularly reviewed to ensure that links work correctly and the resources listed continue to be helpful to our visitors. If you find that a link isn't working or information is incorrect, or if you would like to have your own organization listed here, please contact Nancy.