It is an enormous challenge to maintain financial stability when you are undergoing medical treatment, especially when being treated for breast and other cancers where treatments may be administered over a prolonged period of time. According to National Health Expenditure Data (NHE) 2017, medical expenses grew to $3.5 trillion in 2017, which accounted for approximately 17.9% of US Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Therefore, it is important to gain a complete understanding of your medical expenses, insurance coverage as well as effective treatment options. If you are undergoing medical treatments for serious illness, here are a few tips for obtaining an understanding of medical costs, budgeting for them and managing medical expenses to help alleviate stress while you focus on getting better:

Get organized and analyze the situation

• Medical care is expensive but it is more manageable after consulting with your physician, their billing office, and your insurance carrier to understand procedures and what is covered. Ask a friend or family member to help you create a notebook to track treatment options and their expense if you do not feel well enough to do so. They want to support you and would be happy to help, so just ask someone whom you feel is up to the task! Depending on your situation, you may investigate insurance carriers including your local affordable care resources if these options may offer better coverage for you.

• Contact your treatment center's Oncology Social Worker to find out about support services to help you navigate the health system and identify important services such as assistance with finding adequate financial resources, accessing transportation, learning about potential government benefits, prescription discount programs, understanding the Family and Medical Leave Act and community resources such as support groups. Many cancer treatment centers and hospitals also provide childcare and other support services such as discounts on wigs, nutritional counseling, yoga, reiki and fitness programs to name a few while you undergo treatment.  

Look for cheaper alternatives

• People suffering from common skin issues often spend excessive amounts of money on personal care products to find relief from uncomfortable skin conditions. However, a lot of time and expense can be avoided by consulting with your physician and/or nurse responsible for the care of skin side effects of cancer treatments and medical procedures such as dermatological procedures that may compromise the skin. Increasingly due to clinical research studies which suggests that Calendula Officianalis Extract (marigold) is an effective plant-based approach to protecting against skin side effects of repeated radiation therapy treatments that may overly dry and burn the skin, radiation oncologists and radiation oncology nurses who care for the skin are recommending calendula cream for radiation burns since results are effective results without overly burdening patients with additional expenses.

Keep track

• It is important to maintain a record of your expenditures while undergoing medical treatments; from insurance co-pays, prescription drugs, procedures, visits to specialists, imaging tests and compare radiation creams for breast cancer so that you may budget adequately and avoid unnecessary expense. Don’t be afraid either to comparison shop as you may be able to obtain the necessary procedures at lower cost without sacrificing quality. It is always wise to know the cost and consult your insurance carrier to see what is covered before you undergo a procedure.

• My Girls Skin Care provides effective solutions to soothe irritated skin and fight radiation-induced dermatitis; skin related side effects of treatment for cancer and other medical procedures that compromise, overly dry and irritate the skin. If you are planning to buy calendula cream for irritated skin, My Girls Skin Care is the only paraben-free, dye-free, fragrance-free cream that is available online at a lower cost per ounce than other calendula and homeopathic creams.  Learn more or try a product today here @ www.mygirlscream.com