Financial help for people who have skin cancer
Dermatologist reviewed: Elisa Gallo, MD, FAAD; Desmond Shipp, MD, MS, FAAD. Reviewer bios.
Patients are often reluctant to tell their dermatologist or oncologist that they cannot afford to treat their skin cancer. Rather than speak up, some simply don’t get the treatment they need.
Others worry about the cost of having a spot on their skin checked for skin cancer, so they wait. If that spot is skin cancer, waiting gives cancer time to grow, which can make treatment more difficult.
Financial help and free programs are available to help people get their skin checked for skin cancer, and when needed, to obtain treatment. You don’t have to delay treatment. You don’t have to put off getting a spot on your skin checked.
If you cannot afford treatment or getting a spot checked for skin cancer, financial assistance may be available.
In this article
Is there a fee to get financial help to diagnose or treat skin cancer?
No organization should charge you if you need financial help to diagnose or treat skin cancer. If you are asked to pay a fee, seek help from an organization that won’t charge you. Also look elsewhere for help if you are asked to pay for information about how to obtain financial help.
What is a skin cancer check?
A skin cancer check is a visual exam of your skin that’s performed by a medical professional who looks for signs of skin cancer. The medical professional who performs a skin cancer check is often a board-certified dermatologist. These doctors have the most experience checking people’s skin for signs of skin cancer.
If you find a spot on your skin that could be skin cancer, it’s important to get the spot checked. Should you have skin cancer, waiting can allow the cancer to grow deep or spread.
Where can I get a free skin cancer check?
The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) offers free, dermatologist-led skin cancer checks. These checks are open to everyone, regardless of income. No information about income is required to get a free check.
Dermatologist examining patient at an AAD free skin cancer check.
To find out if a free skin cancer check is available in your area, go to:
If a free check isn’t available in your area and you have a spot on your skin that is growing, bleeding, or changing, don’t wait to be checked.
If you do not have health insurance and cannot afford this medical care, you can go to a low-cost, sliding scale, or free clinic.
During a skin cancer check, can I get diagnosed with skin cancer?
No, you will not get a diagnosis during a skin cancer check. The purpose of a skin cancer check is to find out if any spots on your skin show signs of skin cancer. If a spot shows signs, you’ll need to get a diagnosis to find out whether the spot is skin cancer.
People who attend a free skin cancer check usually receive a list of dermatologists, so they can follow up and get a diagnosis, which may not be free. Dermatologists are the doctors who have the most experience diagnosing and treating skin cancer.
What financial help is available to diagnose or treat skin cancer?
If you cannot afford to get a diagnosis or treatment for skin cancer, these resources are available:
Low-cost, sliding scale, or free clinic
These clinics are available for people who meet income requirements. You’ll find these clinics throughout the United States, in cities, suburbs, and rural areas. These clinics generally provide care on a sliding scale, meaning most patients pay reduced fees based on their income. Some clinics offer entirely free care for low-income and uninsured people. The following websites can help you find a clinic:
When making an appointment at a free or low-cost clinic, explain that you want to see a doctor who can diagnose skin cancer.
Not all clinics offer care for skin cancer: After you find a clinic, call to ask if they offer the medical care that you want, such as a skin cancer check (visual exam to check for signs of cancer on your skin) or services to diagnose or treat skin cancer.
Discounted bill
Some dermatologists offer discounted bills. To find out if a dermatology practice offers discounted bills, call the office and:
Ask the person who answers the phone if discounted bills are available.
If discounted bills are available, ask what the cost will be for the service you need, such as:
A skin cancer check: Some dermatology practices offer free skin cancer checks at certain times of the year or for new patients.
Follow-up after a skin cancer check to get a diagnosis
Treatment for diagnosed skin cancer
If you cannot get a discounted bill, ask to be referred to a dermatology practice or clinic that can help you.
If you need help finding dermatologists in your area, go to: Find a Dermatologist
What financial help is available for specialized skin cancer treatment or treatment for skin cancer that has grown deep or spread?
You have options for obtaining financial help for skin cancer treatment. You can:
Ask someone on your cancer care team what financial help is available. They often know about programs or foundations that may be able to help.
They may put you in touch with a patient navigator. Also called a patient advocate, a patient navigator is usually a nurse or social worker, who can help patients get financial support and other services, such as transportation and childcare.
Tell your dermatologist or oncologist (doctor who specializes in cancer) if your health insurance or Medicare won’t cover the cost of your treatment. Your doctor may be able to help with the following:
Health insurance: If your health insurance provider denies coverage, your doctor may be able to help by contacting the insurance company.
Medicare: Your doctor may give you a treatment that Medicare will cover.
If you need treatment for melanoma, another option is to contact an organization called Healthwell, which provides financial assistance to people receiving Medicare who need help paying for melanoma treatment, Healthwell’s Medicare Access: Melanoma.
Contact your state or local department of health for help. These departments offer different types of aid. You (or your patient navigator) can contact these departments.
To find these departments, look online. For example, if you live in the state of Florida, type the following into a search engine:
“Florida department of health + financial help skin cancer”
Ask your dermatologist if a less expensive treatment may be an option for you. Your dermatologist will choose the best treatment for your cancer based on the type of skin cancer you have, how far the cancer has spread, your health, and other considerations. Sometimes, another treatment may be an option.
Ask for a referral from a low-cost, sliding scale, or free clinic. While these clinics are unlikely to offer specialized care like Mohs surgery or treatment for advanced skin cancer, they can often refer you on.
Is there financial help for people who have melanoma?
Financial assistance for melanoma treatment and other costs related to having melanoma is available through the following programs, which open and close throughout the year and have income requirements:
CancerCare: Offers a co-payment assistance fund for melanoma.
Good Days: This organization helps people get life-saving care that they could not otherwise afford. For melanoma, financial help is available for co-pay assistance, premium assistance, and related expenses, such as transportation.
HealthWell Foundation: If you are on Medicare, this foundation offers financial help for Part B premiums and medication copays.
Melanoma Research Foundation: This foundation provides information about financial-assistance resources available for people diagnosed with melanoma.
Patient Education Foundation: For medication costs only, this foundation offers co-pay grants to help you afford out-of-pocket costs for certain prescription medications to treat melanoma.
The Assistance Fund: (TAF) TAF helps patients and families facing high out-of-pocket costs for medical care by providing financial assistance for copayments, coinsurance, deductibles, and other health-related expenses.
Is there financial help for people who have Merkel cell carcinoma?
Financial assistance for treating Merkel cell carcinoma and other costs related to having this skin cancer is available through the following programs, which open and close throughout the year and have income requirements:
CancerCare: This fund offers co-pay assistance for Merkel cell carcinoma
Merkel Cell Carcinoma Financial Aid Fund: This assistance can cover transportation-related expenses to get to appointments for treatment, lodging, and food or nutritional needs.
Where can I find financial help to pay for medication I need to treat skin cancer?
If you cannot afford the cost of your skin cancer medication, you may be eligible for financial help or lower negotiated rates. Here are resources:
Medicaid recipients
If you’re receiving Medicaid, you can find out about coverage for prescription drugs at:
Medicare recipients
If you have Medicare, you can get Medicare prescription drug coverage. Should you have trouble paying for this coverage or your prescriptions, these resources can help:
Medicare: Understanding the Extra Help with your Medicare Prescription Drug Plan: People with limited income and resources may qualify for the Medicare Extra Help program. It helps to pay for the costs of the Medicare prescription drug plan.
Drug-assistance programs: Learn about other options to help you save on prescription drug costs.
Financial assistance from pharmaceutical companies
Pharmaceutical companies offer assistance programs for their medications. To qualify for assistance, there are often income requirements. The following resources can help you find out about these assistance programs:
RxAssist: Here you can learn about programs from pharmaceutical companies and other resources that can help lower your medication costs. If you cannot afford the medication, patient assistance programs run by pharmaceutical companies provide free medications to eligible patients.
Contact the pharmaceutical company that makes the medication you need help paying for. You’ll find information about assistance programs from two pharmaceutical companies that make cancer medications used to treat skin cancer below.
Genentech medications
Genentech makes several cancer medications. Different financial assistance programs are available:
Genentech Access Solutions: Find out about financial assistance for different Genentech medications.
Genentech Patient Foundation: This foundation gives free Genentech medication to people who meet income guidelines, including people who do and don’t have health insurance.
The Merck Co-Pay Assistance Program (Keytruda only)
Merck is the pharmaceutical company that makes a medication called pembrolizumab (Keytruda), which is used to treat different types of cancer. This medication is FDA-approved to treat some advanced skin cancers, such as melanoma, Merkel cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma.
Merck Co-pay Assistance Program: This Merck program offers financial assistance to eligible, privately insured patients who need help affording the out-of-pocket costs for Keytruda.
How can I find the lowest price for medication needed to treat skin cancer?
These resources provide help paying for medication:
GoodRx: This free service helps you find the lowest price for a prescription drug and may offer coupons to help you save even more. You can use Good Rx if you have health insurance.
NeedyMeds: Find programs that offer discounted or free medications. You can also get a drug discount card to help you save on prescription medications and medications you can buy without a prescription.
RxHope: This resource provides a helping hand to people who need medications that they would normally have trouble affording.
Rx Outreach: This non-profit pharmacy strives to make prescription drugs affordable.
What financial help is available to pay for costs related to treating skin cancer, such as a place to stay or transportation?
If you have skin cancer and must travel to get treatment, costs for lodging and transportation to and from treatment can add up. These resources can help reduce these costs.
Hope Lodge®: Brought to you by the American Cancer Society, Hope Lodge can offer you a free place to stay when you need to travel to get treatment for cancer.
Road to Recovery®: Brought to you by the American Cancer Society, this program connects cancer patients with volunteers who can drive them to treatment appointments.
Dermatologists understand that patients can struggle to pay for skin cancer care
Talking about costs with your dermatologist may feel uncomfortable, but dermatologists understand that many patients face financial barriers. If cost prevents you from getting the care you need, tell your dermatologist.
Related AAD resources
Skin cancer: Learn about symptoms, how skin cancer is diagnosed, and the causes.
Dermatologist reviewer bios
Elisa Gallo, MD, FAAD
Board certified in dermatology, Dr. Gallo has more than 20 years of experience diagnosing and treating conditions that affect the skin, hair, or nails. Her areas of expertise include:
Acne, eczema, and psoriasis
Skin cancer (advocating for early detection and prevention)
Pediatric dermatology
Patients describe her as a compassionate and patient-centered doctor.
Dr. Gallo’s has contributed to many research studies, including several that have investigated viruses. Her research contributions include giving us a better understanding of the role that stress can play in reactivating the Epstein-Barr virus.
Dr. Gallo is a Clinical Associate Professor at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. This role includes serving as a clinical preceptor. In medical school, a preceptor acts as a mentor, working one-on-one or with a small group, to prepare students for seeing patients.
Desmond Shipp, MD, MSBS, FAAD
Board certified in dermatology, Dr. Shipp is renowned for his expertise in:
Performing cosmetic treatments
Treating skin and hair conditions in people who have darker skin tones
Training future dermatologists
Dr. Shipp says, “I’m passionate about providing the highest level of care possible.” His reviews from patients reflect this passion. He has been named to the Castle Connolly's Regional Top Doctors and Top Black Doctors lists.
Dr. Shipp’s research has led to advancements in cosmetic treatments, which include improvements in laser resurfacing, liposuction, and collagen induction therapy. Dr. Shipp also has a special research interest in helping people with cystic fibrosis who experience severe acne flares.
At Ohio State University, Dr. Shipp is an Associate Professor of Dermatology, the Director of Cosmetic Dermatology, and Director of the Department of Dermatology American Society For Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) Cosmetic Fellowship.
Written by Paula Ludmann, MS
Paula has more than 20 years of experience writing about skin, hair, and nail conditions for patients and the public.
She enjoys developing easy-to-understand information that people can use to make informed health decisions.
Paula’s passion for creating patient-first information has led to her work being mentioned by Prevention magazine and the Washington Post. She has won numerous awards, including Webbies, Apex Awards, and several awards from professional organizations.
References
American Academy of Dermatology Association’s Practice Management Center. Tips for reducing drug prices.
Steen AJ, Mann JA, et al. “Understanding the cost of dermatologic care: A survey study of dermatology providers, residents, and patients.” J Am Acad Dermatol 2017;76:609-17.
Image credits
1,3: Getty Images
2: American Academy of Dermatology