Travel For Cancer Related Treatment
Living with cancer frequently requires a lot of travel to and from treatments and sometimes even requires short or long-term stays away from your home. Use the tips below to figure out the best place and the best way to be where you need to be for your cancer treatments.
Money is going to be a concern during your cancer treatment and commuting and housing needs are no exception. While many cancer treatment centers and hospitals have options for obtaining needed travel and residential services, these services are frequently expensive and are rarely covered by health insurance.
Call your insurer and find out what kinds of travel or residential assistance they provide. Ask detailed questions including inquiries about insurance coverage for transportation reimbursements if you're transported by nonmedical vehicle or ambulance.
Consider asking your physician whether admitting you into the hospital for a cycle of chemotherapy can be accomplished in order to avoid travel during a particular chemotherapy cycle. While housing near a facility is usually not covered by health insurance, hospital stays usually are.
Look into services offered in your region for obtaining housing and discounted housing for cancer patients during their treatment. There are some hospitals that provide listings of places to stay, such as discounted hotel fees, while others have affiliated housing facilities that are useful for patients.
Look into charities that specialize in meeting the needs of cancer patients for advice about obtaining housing near your cancer treatments.
The expense for commuting to and from cancer treatments is frequently a deductible expense but often the cost of lodging is not tax deductible. Consult with an accountant about these alternatives.
Consider whether your spouse or other household members can move with you to a location closer to your treatment hospital or center and consider renting out your home to help defray costs of the away-from-home housing if you believe you are going to be away from home for a long period of time.
Consider closer options based on the differences in the quality of care you can anticipate if you choose someplace closer to home. You can frequently arrange to receive treatment or have lab work performed closer to home than the hospital or facility with which your physician is affiliated.
Discuss the challenges of travel with your physician and ask for recommendations about how to address those challenges.
Even if an offer is made to you, try to avoid living with friends or relatives you know in an area if possible to avoid the strain of having to worry about being a good guest while you're undergoing cancer treatments.
If you feel well enough to commute to your cancer treatments by public transportation if it's available, use the time to relax by reading or listening to music you enjoy.
If you've taken a medication that causes discomfort such as that taken to prepare for a catscan, try not to drive yourself to avoid being distracted by feeling unwell while you drive.
How and where you travel can cause challenges for you when you're obtaining treatment for cancer. Use the tips above to determine what options for getting to your place of treatment will work best for you in beating cancer.
