I was diagnosed at 57. I had $17,000 in medical costs in 2017. Myeloma is very hard financially on younger patients, especially. It's tough to work full time with this disease. Myeloma is usually diagnosed in older adults. So, Medicare helps. Older people that are retired don't have to worry so much about trying to work around appointments and fatigue, and other symptoms. Myeloma is really tough financially if you get diagnosed at a young age. Just my opinion.

We always purchased our medical insurance for the catastrophic, "what ifs" we knew we couldn't afford to pay. When I was diagnosed in 2019 I was thankful to have it. I'm still on the same policy. I hit my out of pocket max of $7000 to $10k every year but after that coverage is 100%. It ends up being a really good deal for me considering my premium costs are not high. I'm not wealthy, I do work fulltime for a small non-profit that provides a flexible schedule which works with treatment. Health insurance has been through the marketplace the entire time, bought the best policy I could, watched my out-of-pocket max and coverage following that the most. So I know my max I'll pay. I have co-pay assistance from the med companies as well. All very beneficial.

I agree Donna, that is the toughest one, especially if you don't have great insurance or can't work. I guess getting access to help financially is another hurdle for those that don't have the resources or know how to use them.

And most of the assistance searching is done by the hospital patient financial/billing office, many times. One just has to ask

I am definitely not financially comfortable. Being retired and on SS/Medicare/Medicaid. If I didn't have what I have, I would NOT have treatment. Have you tried disability? They consider cancer as terminal and special attention. You can get help if I can.
Rick; Happy Birthday 🎂