Amey had to pay almost $5,000 upfront for her cancer diagnosis. Now she's taking the fight to parliament

abc.net.au - 24/05
A funding anomaly means patients are being hit with thousands in out-of-pocket costs. Now 12,000 people are calling for change.

When 69-year-old Amey Glynn visited the Riverina Cancer Care Centre last June for an initial consult ahead of radiotherapy treatment for her non-Hodgkin lymphoma she was handed a bill for almost $5,000. 

Key points:

  • There are calls for government to fund bulk-billing at a regional radiotherapy centre
  • A 69-year-old former patient says she was "appalled" by medical bills in the thousands
  • There are reports some patients avoid treatment because of costs

"When she said that amount of money, I got the shock of my life," Ms Glynn said.

"I said, 'My God, how do people afford to have cancer in the Riverina?'"

The Riverina Cancer Care Centre (RCCC) in Wagga Wagga is the city's only radiotherapy provider, and one of the only facilities in the state where patients have to cover out-of-pocket ...
[Short citation of 8% of the original article]