Cancer is a reality that we all are aware of. It is a disease that can happen to anyone no matter what the age of the person is. In this article we will discuss how we can deal with this disease financially. Cancer today can be cured and that is something we all know. Yet the treatment of cancer is an expensive one and the process is really long.
It can take years for cancer to get cured and the worst part is that it can come back. When a person goes through the treatment of cancer the physical pain is fine but what matters more is the mental pain of the patient. The pain can become even more if the person is not financially prepared for it. We will try to discuss what we can do in order to ensure that we have enough funds to deal with the treatment of cancer. Especially in countries where people suffering from cancer are huge there is a strong need for a financial planner who can help the patients and families. It has been noted that in some cases more than one family member can also develop the disease and this can be an even more terrible crisis to face.
The Crisis
Many financial institutes have seen that families dealing with cancer can go through severe financial crisis. As a result they have come up with funds to deal with this disease in an effective manner. For example if a child in the family develops cancer then either one of the parents has to leave their jobs and take care of the child. This can suddenly become a problem as the money is less and the expenses are huge.
Not only kid’s even old people find it a challenge to pay for the expenses of cancer treatment. It is true that medical insurance can cover the treatment but to what extent. Moreover, medical insurance pay only for the hospitalization and nothing else. The costs of medicines in cancer treatment itself are huge and that is not covered by insurance. The hospitals and medical institutes realised that the costs of treating cancer is so huge that many people stop the treatment mid-way as they cannot afford the expenses. This leads to more and more suffering as a result the ideas of financial planners for cancer started to develop.
Financial Planning and Management
The main aim of financial planning for fighting cancer is to understand how the expenses can be managed in such a way that the financial crisis can be controlled. Managing expenses and reducing debts is the key to financial planning for fighting cancer. There are pro bono financial planners that can help the family members of the cancer patients to deal with this situation. The financial planners regularly meet these family members and try to understand the real cause for the financial problems.
The aim of the financial planners is to see that the family members can deal with this difficult financial situation. The families find it tough to find a balance between money and their loved ones. What should they do? Should they pay attention to the well-being of the loved ones or think about the money. Actually they have to do both and finding this exact balance is the challenge.
The plan is always a long term one. It is aimed at looking at how a family can get over the financial crisis over a long period of time. Each family is treated as a separate entity as no two families are the same. The budget needs to be leveraged and balance sheets too. The expenses of cancer are huge and as a result they can only be overcome with time. Long term disability insurance is a good option to deal with the expenses that fall upon the families suffering from cancer. The financial planners are certified for the job and they know well what they need to do. They help the families understand that the situation is actually not as bad as they think it to be and as a result they can help the shattered families to sail through this.
When a family suddenly comes across a disease like cancer they just feel so lost and do not know what they would be doing next. How to deal with this crisis and they start losing all hope and get into depression. A qualified and experience financial planner can really help a family in distress. Many courses are available online and any one working in the field of financial planning can actually take up these courses and try to specialize in this field. Many cancer hospitals are also looking for professionals who can help families to handle the expenses of cancer better. Perhaps in the near future it will be mandatory for all families dealing with cancer to get a financial planner to help them deal with the situation.
The Pro Bono
One prominent foundation for financial planning in cancer is Pro Bono for Cancer Campaign. They are also called FPP. They basically work with strategic grants to ensure that they can grow very strong and effective program models to help patients suffering from cancer. FPP is funding many such programs across the country to ensure that the families get a better awareness on how they can deal with the expenses of cancer in a better way. They also try to get grants from non-profit organizations so that they can help people to fight with cancer better and in an effective manner.
CENTS
They are trying to reach the families dealing with cancer through a program called the family reach. They have also come up with a program called the CENTS (consumer education and training services). Using this program they can reach cancer patients who are keen on getting individual financial consultation and planning. With the help of CENTS the patients can also approach the bankruptcy attorneys. They can reach out to patient advocates who can help with health insurance and pharmacy assistance too.
It is true that if there is a family history of cancer then there is a possibility that you might develop the disease sooner or later. It is true that people who have cancer in the family must prepare more for a fund to deal with this disease. In today’s world cancer can happen to anyone so it is always better to be safe than sorry. A family can meet the financial planners and try to work out on a plan just as a precautionary measure too. Many families have gained a lot from the same and will continue to do so in the future.
