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Paying for Cancer:

One couple finds U-M financial resources for cancer-related expenses during hard times

When Aracelli and Miguel Martinez left Mexico City for Michigan 30 years ago, health insurance was the last thing on their minds as the healthy couple and their two children began new lives in the Midwest. Fast forward to May 2009: their children grown, Aracelli worked as a caregiver to the elderly, Miguel managed the grounds and home of a family with a large property. The couple had lived in their Auburn Hills home for 10 years.

Michigan was in the midst of its second economic downturn when Aracelli fell ill, recalling a terrible headache and itching all over her body. An area hospital referred her to the U-M Emergency Department, which led her to the Comprehensive Cancer Center where she received a diagnosis of multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells in bone marrow that help our bodies fight infection.

Aracelli signed on to participate in a clinical trial and responded well to treatment, despite the possibility that her disease could be aggressive and she might have as little as six months.

"I was very scared at first, but then focused on getting well. I thought my life was worth it," Aracelli says. "I thought I'd go back to work in a month or two, but a year passed and I still couldn't go back. Then I needed a transplant and other problems came along."

During that period, Aracelli lost her job. Then, Miguel lost his job, too, and the van that came with his employment. Over the next year, with Aracelli still in treatment, the couple lost their home.

"We were devastated," Aracelli says. "We were almost on the street. I wasn't able to spend one dollar on my medication.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

So, how did a couple without health insurance or employment in the midst of a recession manage to pay for treatment?

According to Miguel, his wife's treatment experience came with "the whole package," including practical and financial resources for qualified patients.

Patient Financial Counselor Sue Thornton sees many patients newly diagnosed with cancer who are stressed about bills they cannot pay. In Aracelli's case, a U-M social worker came to her when she began the clinical trial, was hospitalized and did not have health insurance.

"If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have had treatment," Aracelli says. "I was embarrassed in the beginning, to tell the truth. But they treated me like a good friend with such good care you don't even realize how much they're doing for you. They came to my rescue."

"Often people come to me before they've even had a chance to accept a heavy-duty diagnosis," Thornton says. "We screen patients for state assistance and, once we get through that criteria, for other programs like MSupport or Medicaid." Thornton can then help patients navigate the processes and procedures required for whatever assistance is available, from individualized payment plans to discounted payments.

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See also: Paying for Cancer Resources.

 

 

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This article first appeared in the Summer, 2012 issue of Thrive.

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