Financial Assistance for Cancer Patients

Help Paying Your Medical Bills

At Lahey Clinic, we want you to focus on your treatment and recovery, not on worries about paying for your care. We have a knowledgeable support team including a social worker and a financial assistance coordinator. We’ll make sure your family gets answers to all of your questions about financial aid for cancer patients.

Insurance Coverage

Lahey accepts most health insurance plans, including Medicare, Massachusetts Medicaid and various other plans. Please check with your health insurance company to confirm specifics about your coverage.

If your health plan only covers partial costs, Lahey social workers and financial coordinators can help. We’ll work with you to find ways to finance out-of-pocket costs and look at other options, such as help through charitable organizations.

We’re committed to making sure you understand your health plan coverage and how much you’ll need to pay out of pocket. We can help get any referrals, authorizations or precertifications you need.

If you have limited or no insurance, or have a billing question, call billing and financial services at 781-744-8815. 

Other Resources to Help

Prescription Programs

If you have limited or no insurance coverage for medicines:

• Prescription Advantage (for patients who are disabled or aged 65 and older): call 800-243-4636, ext. 2
• Assistance programs through pharmaceutical companies: NeedyMeds

The Theodore R. and Betsy Harpley Endowment Fund

The Theodore R. and Betsy Harpley Endowment Fund helps patients with cancer and their families pay for needed care and services. For example, it can help pay for personal care attendants or home health aides, room and board at a hospice house, and other services that are part of a patient’s treatment plan.

To learn more, please call 781-744-3496 or email us at harpleyfund@lahey.org.

This fund was first established as the Theodore Raymond Harpley Endowment Fund in 1992 by Betsy Harpley in memory of her husband. In 2021, their adult children changed the name of the fund to include their mother in recognition of the care both parents received at Lahey.

The Ellie Fund

The Ellie Fund provides funding and resources for women and families in Massachusetts who are being treated for breast cancer. For details, call 781-449-0100 or visit the Ellie Fund website.