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Information about all aspects of finances affected by a serious health condition. Includes income sources such as work, investments, and private and government disability programs, and expenses such as medical bills, and how to deal with financial problems.
Information about all aspects of health care from choosing a doctor and treatment, staying safe in a hospital, to end of life care. Includes how to obtain, choose and maximize health insurance policies.
Answers to your practical questions such as how to travel safely despite your health condition, how to avoid getting infected by a pet, and what to say or not say to an insurance company.

My Survivorship A to Z Guide

Insurance Important

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Note: This is a sample Survivorship A to Z Guide for a fictitious person we call Ellen. She is just diagnosed with Breast Cancer. To view a summary of her answers which led to this Guide, click here.

To get your own free, computer-generated A to Z Guide, click here.

Next time you have a choice of health insurance policies, our Health Plan Evaluator helps decide which is the best policy from the point of view of a person with a history of Breast Cancer.

If the insurance your employer offers isn't what you need, consider changing jobs for better coverage. Your health coverage can be that important. As you will see below in the section about "work," there are a combination of laws that keep people from being locked into a job just because of a health history. As long as you're physically and mentally up to it, a heath history is no longer a reason to keep you from qualifying for a new job. One of the laws is likely to prevent a new waiting period during which your existing health condition is not covered by a new employer's health insurance.

If changing jobs isn't an option, look at other ways to obtain health insurance. If all else fails, we've compiled tips for people who are uninsured.

If you lose or leave your job, you will probably get to keep your insurance under COBRA -- at least for 18 months, and possibly for 29 months. You'll have to pay the premiums. Medicare starts 29 months after you become disabled.  

Before you travel abroad, check your health insurance to determine whether you are covered outside the United States. If not, consider purchasing an insurance policy to cover. [Tell me more]

To locate appropriate insurance, speak with a travel agent or an experienced insurance broker.

Do what you can to keep all your property and liability insurance policies in effect. Minimize premiums by shopping around, raising deductibles and dropping unnecessary coverage. [Tell me more]

  • Don't let any insurance policy lapse unintentionally for non-payment of premium.
  • Mark your calendar with the date when each payment is due. Don't rely on the insurance company to send you a bill. And don't rely on the grace period. Particularly if you pay bills by mail, the mail can be very, very slow.
  • If you won't be able to meet a deadline, call the insurance provider before a deadline passes and explain the situation. It can't hurt to mention your health history. You're talking with a person. People at the right level in the company have the ability to bend the rules. If you're not speaking with a person at that level, ask for a supervisor. If money is tight, look at our article about facing a money crunch.

If your financial crunch gets to the point where you have to consider letting go of at least some of your insurance coverage, consider:

  • Increasing your deductible. The higher the deductible, the lower the premium.
  • Decreasing the amount of the coverage. If you consider this with policy on property, find out what happens if you insure the property for less than it is worth.
  • Taking an action which would protect your assets from potential creditors -- such as transferring them to a spouse or a trust. (Don't consider taking a step like this without consulting an attorney first.)