HealthWell Foundation Launches New Breast Cancer Fund to Provide Financial Assistance to Patients on Medicare

GERMANTOWN, Md., Oct. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The HealthWell Foundation®, an independent non-profit that provides a financial lifeline for inadequately insured Americans, has launched a new fund to provide financial assistance to individuals living with breast cancer. Through the fund, HealthWell will provide up to $15,000 in copayment and premium assistance to eligible Medicare patients with annual household incomes up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level. The fund's pharmacy card provides grant recipients immediate access to medications upon approval of their grant.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death and the most common cancer among American women. Approximately one in eight (12 percent) of U.S. women will develop invasive breast cancer during her lifetime. An estimated 247,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in 2016 and over 40,000 will die of the disease. Although breast cancer is about 100 times less common in men, experts forecast 2,600 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed this year in U.S. men resulting in 440 deaths. (Source: American Cancer Society)

"The financial burden that breast cancer patients face can be overwhelming and too often forces them to make choices between paying for medicine or food," said Jean Sachs, MSS, MLSP and CEO of Living Beyond Breast Cancer. "The HealthWell Foundation's grants will go a long way in alleviating some of the financial burden and allow people living with breast cancer to focus on taking care of themselves." 

"We are thrilled to be able to again offer services to the breast cancer community to help ease the financial burden treatment can impose on those living with this devastating disease," says Krista Zodet, HealthWell Foundation President. "For most, battling breast cancer is difficult enough without the added stress of out-of-pocket medication and insurance premium costs. Through the generous support of our donors, we are now able to offer breast cancer patients a financial lifeline so they can concentrate on their treatment and recovery instead of medical bills."

 "We are especially excited about the timing of the launch as we partner with the breast cancer community to increase awareness the disease and spread the word about available resources to patients during Breast Cancer Awareness Month," said Ms. Zodet.

To determine eligibility and apply for financial assistance, visit HealthWell's Breast Cancer Fund page. To learn how you can support this or other HealthWell programs, visit HealthWellFoundation.org.

About Living Beyond Breast Cancer

Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) is a national non-profit organization that provides information and support to people impacted by the disease.  LBBC's programs are all free or low cost and are designed for people at all stages of diagnosis and their caregivers.  For more information, visit LBBC.ORG or call 855-807-6386.

About the HealthWell Foundation

A nationally recognized, independent non-profit organization founded in 2003, the HealthWell Foundation has served as a safety net for more than 225,000 underinsured patients by providing access to life-changing medical treatments they otherwise would not be able to afford.

HealthWell provides financial assistance to adults and children facing medical hardship resulting from gaps in their insurance that cause out-of-pocket medical expenses to escalate rapidly. HealthWell assists with the treatment-related cost-sharing obligations of these patients. For more information, visit www.HealthWellFoundation.org.

CONTACT:
Ginny Dunn
240-632-5309
[email protected] 

SOURCE HealthWell Foundation

Related Links

http://www.healthwellfoundation.org