The Michigan Community Outreach to Address Financial Toxicity (MI-COST) held a series of free webinars for cancer patients, their caregivers and family members. The MI-COST program covers many topics and provides educational resources to assist patients and their families in dealing with the financial impact of cancer. The series started in February and has a final webinar in June 2023.
February kicked off the first series, titled Fundamentals of Health Insurance for People with Cancer, which provided an overview of different types of health insurance and an explanation of common insurance concepts, such as appeals, deductibles, co-insurance and co-pays, as well as COBRA eligibility. Lead presenters included representatives from the Wayne State University (WSU) Law School’s Legal Advocacy for People with Cancer Clinic’s (LAPC) Kathryn Smolinski, MSW, LMSW, JD, FAOSW, associate clinical professor and director of the LAPC, and Min Jian Huang, JD, adjunct professor and staff attorney.
Smolinski and Huang explained terminology, detailed programs, insurance and ways to help make navigation easier for patients. For personal guidance and planning, patients were encouraged to consider hiring legal representatives specializing in disability-related benefits or Social Security. Watch the Fundamentals of Health Insurance for People with Cancer here.
In March, participants learned about the Resources for Dealing with Your Cancer. This webinar showcased local and national resources related to cancer care, such as lodging and transportation assets, educational materials for patients, their families and caregivers, social and emotional services, and financial help for under-insured and uninsured patients. Speakers included Megan Landry, associate director for Cancer Center Partnerships at the American Cancer Society; Ashley Williams, MSW, LMSW, manager of Gilda’s Club Royal Oak Programs; Lauren Fryzel, manager of Patient & Community Outreach for the Michigan and Indiana Region of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society; and Tamara Myles, president of the Sisters Network of Greater Metropolitan Detroit. Watch Resources for Dealing with Your Cancer here.
Smolinksi and Huang returned in April to cover employment. Employee Benefits for People with Cancer: Knowing and Using Them included an overview of common benefits offered by employers, working with a human resources department, and a look at life insurance, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and sick leave. Watch April’s webinar here.
In May, Smolinski and Huang also presented during Understanding Disability Benefits for People with Cancer commonly-offered disability programs, Social Security disability benefits, the application process and obstacles. View the webinar covering disability benefits here.
Discussing Cost Concerns with Healthcare Providers is the last MI-COST webinar of the series. On Tuesday, June 13, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., learn about the importance of bringing up treatment expenses and other cost concerns with your doctor and finding other clinicians who can provide support. This topic will be presented by Lauren Hamel, Ph.D., associate professor at WSU School of Medicine and co-leader of the Population Studies and Disparities Research (PSDR) Program at Karmanos, and David Dougherty, M.D., MBA, FASCO, associate professor of Clinical Medicine and deputy director for Clinical Services at Abramson Cancer Center and the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.
Registration is required to attend Discussing Cost Concerns with Healthcare Providers. The webinar series will be available through Zoom. Register here.
MI-COST is a community-academic partnership funded by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund. Theresa Hastert, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Oncology at WSU’s School of Medicine and a member of the PSDR Program at Karmanos, is the MI-COST principal investigator.
This article was written by Wendy Clem, member of the Macomb County Cancer Action Council.
