Just as Hungarian Woman Moves to U.S. on ’90-Day Fiancé’ Visa, She Gets Cancer Diagnosis: ‘Finances Were Difficult’

 

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Tower-Kovesdi said she felt “exhausted” before Christmas in 2021, thinking she was just tired from moving to the U.S.

“I thought it was just a long year catching up with me. In July that year, I moved to the U.S. on a fiancé visa, the same type made famous by the hit TLC show ’90 Day Fiancé.'” she told the news outlet.

“My then-fiancé and I had 90 days to get married, and during that time, I couldn’t work.”

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“Our marriage went off without a hitch, and once we were wed, I applied for a temporary green card. That critical immigration document would mean I could work again,” she continued,

“With COVID-19, I had heard that the process was slow, but I was lucky enough to get my green card only five months after I arrived.”

However, once she started experiencing exhaustion, strange bruises, and hair loss, she took to Google to search what her symptoms could mean prompting her to go to urgent care and ultimately the hospital, where she learned she had leukemia.

 

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“Cancer is always scary. But cancer as an immigrant is particularly terrifying. I wasn’t familiar at all with the American medical system, let alone insurance. I was digesting complex information in a language that isn’t my native tongue,” she told Insider.

“The finances were difficult, too. I had just started working again after months without income. While I’m here legally as a permanent resident, I’m not entitled to government benefits like unemployment insurance.”

She added: “I didn’t have disability pay because I had been working here for only two weeks my decades of work in Hungary didn’t count for anything. We had to turn to crowdfunding to help pay our bills.”

Thankfully, she and her husband were able to raise more than $70,000 on GoFundMe.

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As Tower-Kovesdi completes her treatment, she knows she’s “getting the best care possible.” She noted how grateful she is for her Italian-immigrant oncologist who has helped her along her journey.

“When I’m not thinking about my future, I worry about the other immigrants facing cancer. Many of them don’t have the privileges I do: speaking English, having health insurance and a Social Security number, and having a spouse that knows at least a bit about the system,” she concluded.

“It’s so frightening to be in a different country speaking a different language. It can make you feel totally alone.”

In a recent Instagram post, Tower-Kovesdi expressed her excitement on how she’s almost done with treatment and shared a photo of herself with a facemask on.

She captioned the post, “I cannot express my gratitude to Colorado Blood Cancer Institute; my oncologist, his coordinator, all the nurse practitioners, nurses and everyone who helped and saved my life. SAVED MY LIFE.”

How to Get Help With the Cancer Bills

If you are struggling to pay your cancer bills, like Anna Tower-Kovesdi and her husband, it’s important to know that there are many resources out there for anyone in need of financial help during a cancer battle.

In fact, some people say that cancer treatment costs end up being more of a challenge than the treatment itself.

Coping With Cancer-Related Medical Bills

Health insurance will unlikely pay for all of your cancer treatment and that’s something most people struggle with.

However, there are resources that you may not know about. For example, it's common for doctors to get on the phone and advocate on your behalf with your insurance company.

Many drug companies and clinical trials also offer patient assistance programs. You may be eligible for these.

The social workers at your cancer care clinic can help guide you through the various options. Patient advocacy groups are also willing to help in several ways and your church or social group may be another source of support.

Below are some examples or programs and organizations that may be able to assist patients with bills associated with cancer treatment:

For Help With Treatment Bills

• The Cancer Financial Assistance Coalition can direct patients and their families to available local services.
• Many treatment centers offer extended payment plans and some may offer temporary payment delays, according to the American Cancer Society.
• CancerCare, which connects patients with oncology social workers, may be able to assist with co-pays, transportation, and other costs associated with care.
• The HealthWell Foundation may be able to help uninsured patients pay for treatment.
• The American Cancer Society may be able to link patients and their families up with local resources (they offer a 24/7 helpline).
• The Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF) works with patients and their insurance companies to resolve issues and may provide direct financial support to some patients.
• The Patient Access Network Foundation may be able to help with out-of-pocket costs associated with cancer treatment.

For Help With Transportation and/or Housing

• There are several programs that may be able to assist patients if they need to travel by plane to get treatment, including Air Care Alliance, the Corporate Angel Network, and PALS (Patient Airlift Services).
• Patients with Medicaid may be entitled to help paying for transportation costs to and from treatment.
• The American Cancer Society's Road to Recovery program can hook patients and their families up with volunteer drivers.
• Mercy Medical Angels may be able to help patients and their families pay for transportation.
• The Healthcare Hospitality Network can assist with housing if a patient must be treated far from home.
• The American Cancer Society Hope Lodge Program gives patients and their caregivers a free place to stay during treatment in dozens of cities across the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

For Help With Food

• Food assistance may be available to people going through cancer treatment and their caregivers. Look into the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program aka SNAP or a program like Meals on Wheels.

Healthcare For Immigrants

“In most states, undocumented immigrants are not eligible to enroll in Medicare, Medicaid or Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or to buy Marketplace health coverage,” the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society explains. “There may be limited options for coverage for emergency services; however, cancer treatment may not constitute emergency care.”

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society suggests undocumented immigrants in the U.S. to visit the National Immigration Law Center for Medical Assistance Programs.

And anyone who may be able to receive coverage but is unsure about how it can legally affect them is advised to use the National Immigration Legal Services Directory “to search for nonprofit organizations that provide free or low-cost immigration legal services.”

Other useful resources listed but the society include:

• Free Clinic Directory
• Protecting Immigrant Families
• Triage Cancer's Guide to Health Care Rights of Immigrants
• Immigration Advocates Network
• National Immigration Forum
• United We Dream Network

Immigrants & Language Interpreters

Additionally, hospitals may have interpreters who can help those who do not speak English as a first language.

As per Section 1557, the civil rights provision of the Affordable Care Act of 2010, it is prohibited to discriminate on “the grounds of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in certain health programs and activities.”

This was put in place to make sure people with limited knowledge of the English language “meaningful access” during care, meaning all patients are entitled to free language help.

For example, NYC Health & Hospitals, which states to have more than 1 million patients speaking more than 200 languages and dialects, offers language services 24/7 through telephone, bilingual and multilingual staff at selected hospitals, written health materials in English and 13 other popular languages spoken in NYC, and multilingual signage

Make sure to ask your local hospital and medical care team about what type of language assistance is offered.

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Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

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