The deadly impacts of cancer on an individual’s life are well known by everyone around the globe. In America, cancer is a widespread disease that has taken a toll on many lives. Curing cancer requires a hefty amount of money which leads people to numerous debts. Apart from routine medical aids, people often resort to various emotional and psychological assistance during their treatment which further increases the financial burden on them. This whole procedure continues for a long period of time and the health finances do not cover all these bills which mean that people take debts to fulfill their medicinal requirements.
As per the data presented by the California cancer registry, there are about 1.45 million cancer cases in California which mean approximately 20 cases per hour per day. Whereas, in Los Angeles, the number of cancer cases is about 38000 every year. All these data and studies show that every second person born in these parts of America suffers from cancer disease at some point or the other. These circumstances lead most of the families into great financial problems due to their inability to pay such huge medical bills. However, with the help of a well-learned bankruptcy attorney, you can get back to normal with least friction. For any such assistance, you can visit Recovery Law Group or call 888-297-6203.
How cancer leads to financial perils?
Cancer treatment involves medical as well as chemical treatments. When someone is diagnosed for cancer, first of all, he or she is treated through medicines that are very costly plus they are needed for a long amount of time which means that the expenses are large and steady. Apart from medicines, successive treatments involve several rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy which again cost a lot. Each round of these therapies costs quite much for an individual to bear. Thus, overall expenses during cancer treatment include medicines, therapies and surgeries are expensive. Apart from these costs, there are post-treatment expenses too which are again not a small amount to bear. Some of these costs are borne by the health insurance but for the rest, people have to borrow money from the lenders or the relatives which makes them indebted.
Verification of bills can help you save a bit:
It is highly recommended that you verify all your medical and treatment bills for various therapies and services before making the final payment to avoid any extra payments due to any discrepancy. You must look into the bills properly so as to check that you are being charged only for those services that you have taken and not any extra ones. All the expenses must be properly quoted on the bills. Also, consult your insurance agent to verify if they are providing the promised amount of money as per the insurance scheme or not.
What can be your options to overcome these financial perils?
The first option to balance your finances could be an extra job that can help you with your medical expenses. However, this option is very difficult for most of the people as a person who is going through cancer treatment, it is very difficult to work extra hours due to physical and mental fatigue caused by the disease and its treatment. You can also rebuild your budget so as to remove unimportant expenditures. This will help you to a certain extent.
Next option which most people prefer is borrowing money from relatives or lenders to pay for their medical expenses. However, most people resort to borrowing money from their well-wishers as for borrowing it from a lender requires them to fulfill the respective eligibility criterion to which most of the people fail.
Next option could be to reduce the size of your home to get some extra source of income. However, this option is helpful only to those people who have large home equity otherwise this would not be a good idea too. Apart from selling your housing equity, you can also rent or sell the other expensive belongings that are not of much need to you. You can consult an auction house or any consignment company for this purpose. These things might include a yard, a vehicle, etc.
Last option can be bankruptcy. This is the option to which the majority of people resort to when any of the above-mentioned options fail to fulfill their overall medical expenses. It is a wise decision to opt for bankruptcy for those who are already under debt as it provides some additional benefits to such people.
Is bankruptcy beneficial for the family?
For people who are already indebted and need more money for getting through their medical expenses for cancer treatment, it is a good option to file for bankruptcy. This will help them to reduce extra stress and hopelessness. It also assists the family of the cancer patient during the times of crisis. As per the American Institute of bankruptcy, a total of 1 million people in America file for bankruptcy per year.
Filing for bankruptcy can help in putting a pause on disturbing calls from creditors and thus relieving you from any harassment during treatments. Apart from this, it also provides a proper action plan so that you can get through your debts in a well-mannered way. This reduces the stress level of the cancer patient and their relatives who are already suffering from the mental trauma of disease and its treatment.
Working of bankruptcy explained:
If you are unaware of how bankruptcy actually works to help you with your financial crisis, then you must first understand the working of bankruptcy. Those who have a job can file for bankruptcy under chapter 13 which provides them with proper financial and budget planning. Such planning can help you in managing your expenditure in a wise manner with least useless expenses. Also, there might be chances of getting rid of some of the debts that include medical debts.
If you qualify and file for bankruptcy under chapter 7, then there are high chances that most of your debts are discharged. For proper guidance, you must consult a bankruptcy attorney who will suggest you the best option depending on your situation.