You and your health insurance may have different ideas about where it should stop paying for cancer treatment.  But if you could afford it, you probably wouldn't cut any corners.

If a cancer center in another city offered the best treatment, you'd want to go--and have family member there for support.  You'd want the best specialist, treatments, diets and medications.  And a hospital stay that covered no matter how lengthy.  Maybe you'd want reconstructive surgery to feel like your old self again.  Or childcare and housekeeping at home while you recover.

Medical insurance often stops short of considering these costs "essential." Luckily, these kinds of costs are exactly what cancer insurance helps to cover.

It's hard to face the facts, but cancer will affect many of us--regardless of age, gender or lifestyle.  While treatment has advanced the fight against cancer, it still occurs in 50% of men and 33% of women.

An average of 65% of cancer-related expenses are considered non-medical, which means your health insurance may not pay.  Indirect cost can be twice as much as your medical bills. Indirect expenses can include things like transportation, food, missed work, lodging, home recovery and extended care.  This is where cancer insurance can help out.

1  All cancer statistics in this website are from the American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts & Figures, 2003.

  There is a cancer in your family's history

  You don't have much money set aside for the unexpected

  You don't have coverage to provide you with extra income in case  you can't work

  You're single or have a spouse who doesn't work

  You want to keep your family financially secure