This document provides information on the financial impact of cancer and resources available to help with costs. It notes that cancer often decreases income and increases expenses like medical bills and travel costs. It outlines social welfare payments, medical cards, health insurance options, and organizations that can assist with financial issues, caregiving needs, travel expenses, and more. The goal is to help minimize stress and difficulties during cancer treatment.

1. Counting
the Cost of Cancer
Tony Carlin
Head Medical Social Worker
St. Luke’s Hospital

2. Introduction
 Dealing with cancer is stressful
 Practical problems can further increase one’s stress
levels
 Practical guide – minimise frustration, stress and
difficulties during this difficult period in your life
 Citizens Information
Lo call 1890 777 121

3. Content
 Financial Impact of Cancer
 Social Welfare
 Community Welfare
 Medical Cards
 Work
 Carers
 Dealing with Financial Problems
 Travel

4. Financial Impact of Cancer
 44% stated that cancer had made them less well off
 58% had a decrease in income
 30% reported a decrease in household income
 11% reported an increase in household income
 59% reported that there had been no change
 6% used all of their savings
 49% used some of their savings
 85% took time off work
 49% received sick pay
 16% had a family member who changed their work pattern to help the person
with cancer
 24% had claimed a new social welfare payment
 61% had received a medical card since their diagnosis
 49% were in employment
 71% had travel costs, (an average of €360 throughout treatment)
 52% paid for parking
 59% had increased household bills

5. Social Welfare
 Different from Social Work
 Essentially about payments, benefits and
entitlements
 Illness Benefit - Forms MC1 & MC2
 Disability Allowance
 Invalidity Pension
 Carers Allowance/Carers Benefit
 Respite Care Grant - €1700
 Fuel Allowance - €20 per week (Oct.-April)
 Free Travel Pass/Companion Pass
 Living Alone Increase - €7.70

6. Community Welfare
 Frequently referred to as ‘the Relieving Officer’
 Up until recently were employed by HSE (now under Social
Welfare) and are generally found at Health Centres on certain
days of the week.
 Issue interim payments while waiting for a payment from Social
Welfare - Supplementary Welfare Allowance
 Diet and Heating Supplements, Rent Supplement, Mortgage
Interest Supplement.
 Exceptional Needs Payment (discretionary payment)
 Expect to be asked to fill out a number of forms
 CWO’s decision can be appealed to the Superintendent
Community Welfare Officer

7. Helpful Hints for Form Filling
 Use black pen
 Write clearly
 Get help if necessary
 Do not leave boxes or sections free, cross out or write N/A (not
applicable)
 Make sure you have signed the form in all the appropriate places
 Get a letter from a social worker, doctor and nurse etc. to support your
application
 Have someone check the form
 Make a photocopy of the form or of any additional forms or
correspondence
 Make sure the address to which the form is going is correct
 Consider registering the letter
 Check that it has arrived after one week
 Always have your PPS number to hand
 Get a name and remember it – write it down
 If using the phone – give yourself plenty of time
 Do not lose your temper – generally it doesn’t help your case
 Keep checking
 Get others to check for you. They will need your PPS to do so.

8. Medical Cards
 No consistency with regard to the allocation of medical cards
 No automatic right to a card because you have cancer
 Means assessed – based on income limits
 If income comes solely from Social Welfare you may be given a
Medical Card even if your income is in excess of the guidelines.
 GP visits cards
 Drug Repayment Scheme
 Support letters
 Two different medical card application forms under 70s and over
70s
 Medical Cards now processed centrally in Finglas
 Can apply and check staus of card online–www.medicalcard.ie
 Can appeal decision not to grant a card – Always appeal –
you’ve nothing to lose!

9. Helpful Hints with Medical Cards
 Make sure you fill in the correct application form MC1 (Under 70s) &
MC1a (Over 70s)
 Processed in Dublin:
Client Registration Unit
PO Box 11745
Finglas
Dublin 11 Tel. 1890 252 919 or (01) 8647100 or Fax (01) 8661445
 Always keep a copy of application form
 Make sure to include the required documentary evidence to support
your application – if not processing of application will be delayed.
 Get a letter of support from your consultant, GP, Social Worker ,
Counsellor etc. – everything helps

10. Helpful Hints with Medical Cards...cont’d
 If sending application in by post – register it.
 You can apply on line and check the status of your application
 Follow up application with a phone call within the week – check that its
arrived.
 Get an approximate date as to when a decision will be made on your
application.
 Always get the name of the person you are dealing with and keep a
note of it.
 Get someone to assist you with phone calls etc.- make sure they have
your documentation, PPS number etc.

11. Health Insurance
 VHI, Quinn Direct, Hibernian Aviva, Occuaptional Health Plans
 Various companies and plans give you a variety of entitlements
 Always check with your Insurer as to what your entitled to by
your plan.
 VHI will not give cover for a pre-existing condition for five years
 Scans - check that the scan is eligible for benefit
 Convalescence – amount of allowance depends on the plan
 All private insurers give a contribution towards breast care
products
 Nurseline Service 1850 247 724/ Best Doctors – Second opinion
service

12. Insurance Policies
 Insurance policy taken out prior to
diagnosis
 Post diagnosis – may be excluded
 Specified Illness Cover – once off lump
sum (25% of salary)
 Income Continuance
 Hospital Cash Plans €100/day, €50/day.

13. Medical Expenses
 If no medical card or no health insurance and you require hospital
admission, you are required to pay €75 per night for a maximum of ten
nights for one calendar year
 If you pay tax, you can claim back expenses for you and your
dependents - MED 1 Form
 Can also claim for all breast care products
 Claim at the end of the tax year
 Enclose P60 and receipts
 You may be able to claim back a percentage of money paid for GP
visits, Nursing Home fees, private carers fees, balance of any claim not
paid by private insurance, on the first €100 paid for drugs while on the
drug repayment scheme.
 VAT can be claimed back immediately for any medical equipment
purchased e.g. stair lift, nebuliser etc

14. Medical Expenses – Inability to Pay
 Threatening letters from Debt Collection
Agencies
 Waivers of medical expenses

15. Hardship Scheme – Inpatient/Outpatient Charges
 Health (Amendment) Act 2005 4(b)(4)
 HSE may reduce or waive charge imposed on a person if it is of
the opinion that, having regard to the financial circumstances of
that person, it is necessary to do so in order to avoid undue
financial hardship in relation to that person
 A person or their representative may make a request to the
Authorised Officer to reduce or waive the charge for
maintenance on financial hardship grounds. Financial Hardship
needs to be demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Authorised
Officer that the money remaining with the person having taken
the charge into account is insufficient to meet their reasonalble
needs.
 Contact: Senior Executive Officer, Acute Hospitals and Services
for the Elderly Programme, Dr. Steeven’s Hospital.
(01) 6790700

16. Disability Payments and Work
 If on Disability Allowance, you can do rehabilitative work and keep your social welfare payment.
 Can earn up to €120 per week without it effecting your payment
 Maximum that can be earned is €422.50 (Disability Allowance) while still retaining minimum payment of
€3.00
 Therapeutic work should not exceed 20 hours per week
 Need to get permission from the Department of Social Protection.
 A letter from your doctor and /or social worker helpful in this regard.
 You can also participate on a FAS/Solas training course or a Community Employment scheme but you will
not be able to keep your social welfare payment.
 FAS/Solas Training Allowance at same rate as social welfare allowance as well as a training bonus
 If you are getting Invalidity Pension or Illness Benefit, you can participate in a Fas training course and
keep your social welfare payment.
 If you wish to work you must transfer to the new Partial Capacity Scheme (with the exception of voluntary
unpaid work).
 Work which you do on the Partial Capacity Scheme does not have to be considered rehabilitative
 Need to be on Illness Benefit for at least six months before you will be considered for approval

17. Carers
 Caring can take many forms
 Caring is stressful
 Stress can effect you physically and emotionally
 Carers Association
 National Careline 1800 240 724
 Carers Allowance, Carers Benefit, Respite Care
Grant
 Carers Leave – 104 weeks
 Home Care Packages – no guidelines on how to
qualify – a person needs 10 hours or more
 Private Carers

18. Financial difficulties
 Money Advice & Budgeting Service (MABS)
 MABS Helpline 1890 283 438 (9am-8pm
Monday – Friday) or email helpline@mabs.ie
 Offices throughout the country
 Free Service
 Confidential Service

19. Financial Difficulties
 Financial Assistance may be provided by a
number of charitable organisations
 It is not an entitlement or a grant!
 Financial problems must be directly related to
cancer
 For those in dire circumstances or in crisis
 Will only be applied for when all other
avenues have been explored

20. Travel
 Source of great difficulty and stress for patients
 Public transport, taxis, petrol costs, parking
 CWOs reluctant to pay travel costs – discretionary and depends
on the area
 Some hospitals provide transport – not ideal
 Volunteer Driver Scheme – Care to Drive
 Travel2Care Scheme

21. Travel2Care
 Must be attending or have attended one of the designated cancer centres,
Beaumont, St. Vincent’s, St. James’s, Mater, Limerick, Galway UH, Cork UH or
Waterford RH
 Scheme now covers all cancers
 Patient must be travelling 30 km or more to the disignated centre
 Scheme administered by Irish Cancer Society
 Two separate forms
 Form A – Investigations –to be filled in by patient and partner
 Form B – Ongoing treatment – to be filled out by health care professional and
signed by patient
 Forms available from ICS, ( Siobhan Dixon (01) 2316619), ICS Website or from
the Breast Care Clinics
 Look for assistance in filling them in

22. Questions?