According to the American Cancer Institute, breast cancer is second only to non-melanoma skin cancer among women, as approximately 12 percent of the female population born today will receive a diagnosis at some point in their lives.

No matter when breast cancer is diagnosed, it does come with its financial costs, but the size of the expense can be very challenging to predict.

The international network of breast cancer activists and survivors called Susan G. Komen for the cure, has estimated that stages 0, 1, and 2 of breast cancer will each come with an average cost of $22,000. That said, when the cancer has spread from the breast to other areas of the body, in stages 3 and 4 of the disease, the cost will usually be over $120,000.

However, according to Andrea Rader, spokesperson for the organization, those figures are quite general.

Plastic surgeon, Ankit Desai, who frequently performs breast reconstruction, has explained that there are far too many forms of therapies and treatments to come up with an exact figure, and that it is difficult to total the cost because there are far too many variables involved among the many individual patients and the various forms of the illness. Equally, health insurance companies don’t pay the same amount every time for an identical procedure.

According to Desai, “They’ll pay one doctor one thing, another doctor something else,” and “It’s all negotiated and it depends on the insurance company.”

Estimates from the National Institutes of Health have shown that in the United States in 2010, the overall cost of cancer was $264 billion.

These reasons are why cancer insurance, or sometimes referred to as supplemental health insurance, are beneficial to preserve one’s capital. These plans are so inexpensive but could save you a lot of money if ever needed. Get a quote today and see how easy it is to protect your pocket book from the high cost of cancer.

Wellmunity Technology has announced that it has released the first ever PC software for patients, survivors, families and caregivers affected by cancer.

The Med-Track 360 software program is a first of its kind and provides those impacted by cancer with the ability to take a more active role in the care provided. It gives caretakers and patients their own Med-Track 360 patient records, which can help fill in what is missing from traditional electronic medical records.

The software is designed for use on a personal computer and is both secure and reasonably priced, with a focus on the patient and a design for the survivors of the disease and their caregivers.

The tool is quite simple to use and costs $249. It gives patients the ability to run their daily lives more effectively and understand how to pursue a more hopeful and positive outcome.

The reason that this software was developed was as a response to the need of cancer patients and those who support them to better cope with the tremendous amount of information that they receive and need to organize, track, document, share, and monitor health matters.

It was developed by Charles Georg, who is, himself, a cancer survivor. He found that the demands of communication and management of information were enormous and needed a program to help him to cope.

He explained that over the three years of his treatment, he had to manage “over 250 appointments, including radiation and chemo treatments, imaging studies, procedures and surgeries with 20 different physicians at 14 medical facilities, while taking 35 different prescriptions”.

Note from writer: This comes from a personal experience as a caregiver…the amount of paperwork received from health insurance and doctors is overwhelming! In this blogger’s opinion, this is an item well worth it, keep the stress to a minimum…there are bigger fish to fry in this battle.

Learn more about how cancer insurance can protect your savings!

When it comes to health insurance, a policyholder is protected against many of the most common costs, but this doesn’t mean that you are covered for all types of illness and accident.

In fact, many people who already have health insurance plans are finding that it is worth their while to invest in a supplemental health insurance product, as well. These policies can help them to fill the gaps that standard health insurance leaves in medical coverage, so that out-of-pocket expenses can be kept to a minimum in situations such as an accidental injury.

Supplemental health insurance, such as accident insurance, typically includes a life benefit due to accident, transportation and lodging needs, lump sum payments for broken bones, concussions, broken teeth, visits to the emergency room, ambulance (both ground and air) transportation, intensive care unit confinement, and lacerations. Many individuals who are self employed find that this is a highly beneficial coverage as they do not have disability insurance. Also, families that have children in sports activities should consider accident insurance.

With the added coverage provided by supplementary insurance, policyholders have the peace of mind of knowing that an accident or other unexpected medical event will not lead them into financial ruin. Furthermore, they have the reassurance of knowing that they will be able to afford everything they need from the initial treatment in the emergency room, to hospitalization and even follow up therapies and treatments.

Supplementary insurance can also cover regular expenses that aren’t directly related to your health, but that you will still face even if you are ill or injured, such as rent or mortgage, loan payments – for example, for a car – and utility bills. Truly, the benefits are paid to the insured and not to the doctors so you can use the money for anything you see fit.

Top American supplemental health insurance provider, Aflac, has announced its hopes that holiday shoppers will spread the word about the insurer’s efforts to raise money for the battle against children’s cancer.

The Georgia-based insurance company is using social media such as Twitter and Facebook, in addition to entertainment- and location-based platforms such as Foursquare and GetGlue to help in its efforts to raise $1 million for the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service. According to the US News and World Report, that institution is one of the leading five in the country.

Michael Zuna, the Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of Aflac, said that “We’re going all out to improve treatments for kids with cancer and to help find a cure.” He explained that as these social platforms have the natural ability to allow a message to go viral, its use not only encourages individuals to get involved in the charitable effort, but it also allows the word to spread quite widely so that many others will join in as well.

For each of the following actions, Aflac will donate $1, up to a maximum of $1 million to the Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorder Service:

• Check in at GetGlue.com for NBC’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade coverage
• Check in at Foursquare when visiting any of Macy’s department store locations between November 24 and December 24, 2011
• Post an image related to the promotions supporting the charity at facebook.com/aflacduck
• Retweet an Aflac Duck (@aflacduck) tweet about how to join in the effort against kids cancers.

According to the American Cancer Society, by the end of 2011, more than 156,000 people in the United States will have died from lung cancer since New Year’s Eve last year.

This disease takes more lives every year than the combined deaths from breast, colon, prostate, and pancreatic cancers. Furthermore, by the end of this year, 2011 will also have meant that another quarter of a million people will have received a new diagnosis of the condition.

These statistics only underscore the importance of Lung Cancer Awareness Month in November, and the need for people to use this time to remind themselves that there are things that they can do to minimize their risks of the disease through actions such as quitting smoking. Men and women are encouraged to take this time to educate themselves about the disease and what they can do to make sure that they don’t get it.

National Cancer Institute data obtained in a research study of Larimer County showed that out of every 100,000 people, 37 die of lung cancer every year, and an additional 45 of every 100,000 are affected by the disease.

Tobacco is the largest controllable risk factor for lung cancer, and American Cancer Society estimates have indicated that tobacco use is related to up to 90 percent of all of the cases of lung cancer.

Radiation oncologist, Dr. Lee McNeely, from Rocky Mountain CyberKnife explained that most patients with lung cancer are either currently smokers, or have formerly been smokers. McNeely urges smokers to take this time to commit to a quitting program and to talk to other smokers about quitting.

Also, keep in mind that if you do smoke or have smoked in the past that cancer insurance is something to consider. Some plans don’t even have a surcharge for smokers. Just think of cancer insurance as just another tool in your arsenal against cancer.

The top supplemental health insurance provider in the country, Aflac, has announced its intentions to renew its ongoing commitment to youth and childhood cancer research and treatment by renewing its financial contributions for three more years.

The insurer, based in Georgia, has made a commitment to the research program for Adolescents and Young Adults (AYA) at the Children’s Oncology Group, for over $600,000 over the next three years. This amount is above and beyond the over $1 million that the insurance company has already donated to the kids’ oncology group since 2004, and the over $67 million that has been raised by Aflac for research and treatments for cancer since 1995.

Kathleen Amos, the foundation president at Aflac, said that it is currently very challenging to be able to raise money for cancer research and that the insurer is very happy to be capable of maintaining their support “for these terrific researchers who are working so hard to find a cure for pediatric and adolescent cancer.”

She went on to praise the work of the scientists, saying that it builds hope among children who are cancer patients and their families. Therefore, the insurer has committed itself to providing continued support for the search for a cure for the disease.

The Children’s Oncology Group (COG) recently held a study which was supported by Aflac and showed that AYA patients who receive treatment for acute myeloid leukemia are two times as likely to die of causes relating to their treatments than they would as a younger child. Further research is required in order to determine why it is that older youth are more prone to succumbing to the toxic impact of treatments.

Though it is always good news when more advancements are made in cancer treatments, it doesn’t come without a higher price tag for patients.

In fact, as the chances of cancer survival continue to improve, so do the bills that come with those treatments. Surgical techniques, drugs, and other innovations that can help cancer patients to fight the illness come at a high cost, even to those who have health insurance.

A recent study conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has shown that between the years of 2001 and 2008, 13.4 percent of cancer patients among adults younger than the age of 65 spent over 20 percent of their income on health related expenses, including their health insurance premiums.

When compared with individuals who have other forms of chronic conditions, only 9.7 percent spent that much of their income on health expenses, while only 4.4 percent of individuals without a chronic conditions spent that percentage of their income on health costs.

Scientists at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Duke University Medical Center looked into the spending made by 216 cancer patients and determined that the average cost out of pocket was $712. Of that amount, the largest portion of it (aside from insurance premiums) went to prescription drug costs.

When cancer treatment costs must be continued over the long term, they can have a devastating impact on the financial health of these patients as it can eat away at their savings and cause them to sink themselves into crippling debt.

Many are finding that cancer insurance maybe another bill but one that can definately pay off if ever diagnosed. Plus, most rates are usually around $18 to $46 dollars a month (depending on age, individual or family, state you live in and plan level choosen). Get your quote today, you might be surprised how much cancer insurance can save you in the long run!

Even though an individual may be covered by health insurance, whether as a part of an employee-sponsored benefit package or through individual coverage, there are many elements that are not covered by the standard plan.

It is for this reason that supplemental health insurance can make such an important, life-saving, and finance-saving difference. Supplemental policies cover the out-of-pocket expenses that you would incur regardless of your primary health insurance plan, for example co-payments and deductibles.

The following are the top five reasons that an individual may need supplemental health insurance to boost the coverage from their health insurance:

1. Self employed individuals may benefit from a catastrophic policy as a primary policy if a health insurance policy isn’t present. This covers major medical events that require prescription, doctor’s appointments, and minor medical care. This is much less expensive than comprehensive policies.

2. If an entire family is covered by the healthcare policy, then it is also subject to all of the co-payment maximums, deductibles, and other fees that can rapidly build the out of pocket expenses.

3. If an individual or family’s savings are not extensive. If a few weeks of missed work would result in a financial ruin, supplemental insurance can provide the necessary cash payments to cover life expenses such as food, mortgage or rent payments, etc.

4. If cancer is a concern, supplemental cancer insurance will provide peace of mind, and if cancer should occur, it will provide coverage for the areas not covered by the standard health insurance.

5. Patients who have a pre-existing medical condition can benefit from supplemental insurance since the majority of health insurance plans will not cover medical issues that existed before the coverage went into effect. Supplementary plans can be covered specifically for the pre-existing condition’s coverage. It’s important to note that the majority of cancer insurance plans won’t provide the supplemental coverage until the customer has been cancer-free for a minimum of five years. That said, employee-sponsored supplemental health plans may still provide coverage.

The shock and sadness felt around the world upon hearing the news that Steve Jobs lost his battle with pancreatic cancer at the young age of 56 has caused many people to think again about the reality of cancer in everybody’s life today and the many risks that it can entail.

Cancer can come about at any age, no matter the person’s gender, ethnic background, education level, or income. The one thing that can be said about it is that no matter the result, the cost will be high.

Moreover, it doesn’t just impact the patient. Loved ones – friends and family – are also affected by this disease: emotionally, physically, financially, as well as in time and effort. This is, unfortunately, a fact that is becoming increasingly common knowledge. What is not as well understood is that health insurance will not cover the complete cost of cancer treatments.

The financial cost of cancer – even among people with health insurance – can include a draining of any savings and retirement investments, and the need to go into extensive debt, maxing out credit cards, taking out loans, and hoping for the assistance of generous donors to help to cover all of the seemingly never ending expenses.

The passing of Steve Jobs as a result of this illness has brought this disease into the spotlight during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and this topic needs to be addressed much more openly in terms of its financial requirements. It is important for families to take this time to understand where they will be financially should they be struck by this disease, and to consider supplementary cancer insurance as a part of their financial plan.

October 17, 2011 will be the last day that Blue Shield will be offering coverage to patients requiring reimbursements for the use of a popular breast cancer drug called Avastin.

This decision is leading many women to have a better look at their health insurance policies, and to consider supplemental cancer insurance to fill in the gaps for treatments that are not – or will not be – covered.

According to a spokesperson for Blue Shield, Stephen M. Shivinsky, the reason that Blue Shield has decided not to reimburse customers using this drug as a breast cancer treatment is that back in June, a federal advisory committee for the FDA made a unanimous recommendation that the administration take away its approval for Avastin as a breast cancer treatment drug. The reason they provided for this suggestion was that their investigations showed that the medication did not truly assist patients.

That said, Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg, the FDA commissioner, still hasn’t made her final decision, so Avastin does still have its approval.

Blue Shield has approximately 3.2 members. Those who are already taking Avastin as a breast cancer treatment will still be covered for their medication, but on October 18, any new claims made will either be rejected or reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Many women who are using Avastin strongly believe that this drug has saved their lives, or that it is continuing to keep them alive. However, women who will receive a similar diagnosis later on in the month may need to pay for this medication out of their own pockets if this is the treatment they wish to use; unless they obtain supplementary cancer insurance, first. Cancer insurance just gives people options that they might not have with regular health insurance.

It is not recommended that people should assume that their cancer treatments and therapies are automatically covered just because they have health insurance. As this circumstance shows, this is hardly the case.

It should be noted that Blue Shield is not the first insurer to cease its Avastin coverage, but is merely the first among the large health insurance providers. There are at least three others that have chosen not to offer the reimbursements, including Escellus, Regence, and Dakotacare.

This, regardless of the fact that the organization of major cancer hospitals, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, responded to the FDA advisory committee’s recommendation by convening their own panel of breast cancer doctors, who confirmed that Avastin is “an appropriate therapeutic option for metastatic breast cancer.”

Guidelines provided by that network are used by UnitedHealthcare and Medicare when deciding which drugs will be paid for.