How much does radiation (for breast cancer) cost?

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My radiation oncology bills are starting to pour in, so it’s time for another personal finance post. To date, I’ve received bills for 11 out of 28 treatments. Here are the #s:

• $26,903 - the grand total my rads. onc. office billed
• $13,756 - the amount that insurance paid
• $13,146 - the amount my rads. onc. office wrote-off
• $0 - my out of pocket costs, because I hit my out-of-pocket max and deductible eons ago.

Of the $26K, $493 was for the initial consultation, $15K was for the treatment setup and design, and $10,826 was the cost for 11 treatments. That’s an average of $984 per treatment, with insurance paying out a fair percentage - an average of $716 per treatment. No wonder they call me when I’m running late to see if I’m coming! (Yes, I know, I’m being cynical. They don’t want me just for my ins. money, I know, I know, they’re there to help.) When all is said and done I predict the total amount billed for my post-mastectomy radiation will be $43.6K with $25.9K paid out and the remainder written-off.

My take home point - with that kind of price tag I’ll be damned if I’m going to feel in the least bit guilty for asking questions and pushing the docs to do stuff so that I can feel better. I get all my cancer treatment at the same practice, and by the time rads is done that treatment will have brought them $60K (including $34.1 K for chemo). And that’s not including my most recent onc. checkup and labs, or a gyn. oncology visit I had with them to screen for ovarian cancer. (I’m happy to report that that coast is completely clear! Knock on wood.)

My other take home point - I’m so incredibly grateful that:

• my insurance rocks (and that thanks is also due to my SIL and our work insurance broker, Montgomery & Graham - Tina and Jim, you are the best!!)
• the lion’s share of my cancer treatment took place in the same calendar year. If treatment had started in Sept. instead of May, I’d be paying two calendar years worth of deductibles and copays back-to-back. As things are, I hope to push off reaching my cap until mid next year. Ah well, dream on, right? But I can try.
• I hit my cap early in the year and that I don’t have to pay copays for each rads visit. For the women who do have high copays, that could run $150/week. Yikes.

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Filed under breast cancer, costs, radiation