Women Struggle With Breast Cancer Expenses

What comes first...the mortgage or your breast cancer treatment...no lunch money for kids as Mom has cancer and every penny counts...this is what happens to the "working poor"...BD

"I never thought I'd see the day that I was in this situation," said Natashia Pierre, 41, of Central Islip, N.Y. Pierre, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2007, is insured through her husband and pays 20 percent of her medical bills out-of-pocket.

Her monthly co-pay for chemotherapy is $500, and she is still struggling to pay the $1,000 fee from her lumpectomy earlier this year. She says debt collectors call her home every day. Though 15 percent of Americans are uninsured, some doctors say that the real problem is for those who do not qualify for Medicare, like Pierre. "But for those who cannot benefit from these limited offerings, the choice often comes down to paying for treatment or paying for daily needs such as food, electricity or the mortgage."
"How do I tell my kids they can't have lunch money because mommy has cancer?" she said. "It's so frustrating. My husband has to work all the time, to keep the health insurance. He can't even take time off when I have surgery." "We're not middle class and we're not poor — and we get no assistance."
According to a recent survey conducted by USA Today/Kaiser Foundation/Harvard School of Public Health, 33 percent of cancer patients have trouble paying medical bills and 43 percent report skipping treatments or not filling prescriptions because of the cost. "The overall cost for treating a typical breast cancer will top $50,000 or even $100,000."