HealthWell Foundation Opens New Medicare Access Fund to Provide Financial Assistance to Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients

Fund Offers Relief to RCC Patients Struggling with Out-of-Pocket Costs for Treatment

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Dec 30, 2015, 08:00 ET

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Dec. 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The HealthWell Foundation^®, an independent non-profit that provides a financial lifeline for inadequately insured Americans, today announced it has opened a new fund to provide financial assistance to Medicare patients suffering from renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Through the fund, HealthWell will provide grants up to $10,000 to assist RCC patients with copayments and premiums. Patients who are on Medicare and have annual household incomes up to 500% of the federal poverty level are eligible for the fund.

According to the National Kidney Foundation, RCC is the most common type of kidney cancer in adults. About 30 percent of people who are diagnosed with RCC develop advanced (metastatic) disease, in which the cancer spreads to other parts of the body— most often the bones or lungs. Kidney cancer is usually treated with a combination of nephrectomy (surgical removal of all or part of the kidney), radiation therapy, immunotherapy, chemotherapy and hormone therapy. Kidney cancer can often be cured if found and treated before it has spread.

"A diagnosis of kidney cancer is stressful enough without having to worry about the cost of treatment," said Dr. Jeffrey Berns, President, National Kidney Foundation. "The financial assistance grants provided by the HealthWell Foundation allow patients to focus on getting better instead of on copays and premiums. With the incidence of RCC increasing worldwide, this assistance is particularly timely and represents substantial relief for many patients and families dealing with this condition."

"Thanks to the generosity of our donors, this fund gives new treatment options and new hope to Medicare patients living with renal cell carcinoma," said Krista Zodet, President of the HealthWell Foundation, which also launched a fund earlier this month to provide financial assistance to Medicare patients suffering from multiple myeloma. "Grants under the RCC fund will help bring financial relief to RCC patients so they have one less thing to worry about while managing their disease."

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

About the National Kidney Foundation
The National Kidney Foundation is the leading organization in the U.S. dedicated to the awareness, prevention and treatment of kidney disease. For more information, visit www.kidney.org.

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 200,000 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