Delaware program
Help with cancer bills (Delaware Cancer Treatment Program)
A Delaware fund for qualifying cancer treatment costs, including a route for children under 18.
What it is
A Delaware fund for qualifying cancer treatment costs, including a route for children under 18.
Delaware runs a fund that pays cancer treatment costs for up to two years for residents under 650% of poverty. It covers children, and a family with insurance can qualify when out-of-pocket costs pass 15% of income.
Eligibility rules
- You must have been a Delaware resident when diagnosed, with diagnosis on or after July 1, 2004.
- The stated income ceiling is 650% of the federal poverty level.
- The program covers children under 18. Ask DPH how it treats a child who turns 18 during treatment.
What you get
- Help with qualifying cancer treatment costs for up to two years.
What the help includes
- The high-cost route describes maximum out-of-pocket expenses above 15% of income, excluding premiums.
If you decide to apply
- Ask the social worker to discuss the child route with DPH and how insurance and out-of-pocket rules apply.
- Have the diagnosis date, proof of Delaware residence then, household income and out-of-pocket spending ready.
Delaware Cancer Treatment Program · 1-844-245-9580 · Official page ↗
What happens next
- The Division of Public Health decides which costs and time period it will cover.
Good to know
The fund is mainly for people without insurance; a family with insurance can qualify when out-of-pocket costs pass 15% of income. Ask DPH which route fits before counting on it.
Other details
- Existing Medicaid or Healthy Children coverage already pays for covered treatment; the counselor can check whether any separate help remains relevant.
Official sources
“Could the cancer fund’s child route help with our costs? What are its benefits and limits with our insurance, and could you help us request a review if it fits?”
Why I’m asking: I want to know whether this fund can help with costs our child’s coverage leaves us.
More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules
Who does what
The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.
You
Ring and ask two questions: does it take children, and how does the out-of-pocket route work when a child is insured.
Your social worker
The hospital financial counsellor knows whether Delaware families have used it and can help with the paperwork.
The care team
Records and letters when the application asks for them.
- Who decides
- The Delaware Division of Public Health.
- Ask your social worker
- “Has anyone here used the Delaware Cancer Treatment Program for a child, and would our out-of-pocket costs put us inside it?”
How to apply
First step: Call 1-844-245-9580, or 2-1-1 for general information, and ask whether a child can apply.
- Call 1-844-245-9580 and ask plainly whether the programme takes children, and how the out-of-pocket route works for an insured child.
Official application / program page ↗
Where it starts: Call the programme to apply.
What to gather
- The diagnosis date and proof of Delaware residence then
- Household income
- What you have paid out of pocket so far
How long: DPH confirms when a decision and payment can be expected.
What a yes looks like
A determination naming what the programme will pay and for how long.
What a no looks like, and the next move
Usually the insurance condition. Ask which of the two routes was applied and why.
Watch out
- The page says applicants are not eligible for health insurance and also describes an out-of-pocket route. Ring and ask which applies to you.
- A published route exists for minors under 18. DPH confirms the child’s actual insurance route and coverage period.
- A child already on Delaware Medicaid or the Delaware Healthy Children Program has those bills covered already.
The numbers and the rules
The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.
What it is worth
Help with cancer treatment costs for up to two years, with an income ceiling of 650 percent of the poverty line.
- $2 — Maximum length of help
- $650 — Income ceiling as a share of the federal poverty level
- $15 — Out-of-pocket costs as a share of income on the second route
Covers: Help paying for cancer treatment
What it costs the family: DPH confirms covered costs and any family responsibility.
The eligibility facts, as published
- Residency
- a Delaware resident when diagnosed with cancer
- Diagnosis date
- diagnosed on or after July 1, 2004
- Income
- The regulation says below 650% of poverty while the public page says up to 650%. DPH confirms the endpoint and current household dollar amount.
- Insurance status condition
- no comprehensive health insurance, or maximum out-of-pocket expenses above 15 percent of income, premiums excluded. The page separately says applicants are not eligible for health insurance.
- Age
- The regulation expressly covers minors under 18; exact age 18 needs DPH clarification because the adult wording says over 18.
Expect friction on: The public page also says applicants are not eligible for health insurance, which sits awkwardly with its out-of-pocket branch
The trap: The page carries two conditions that do not sit easily together: an out-of-pocket branch that reads as open to insured families, and a separate line saying applicants are not eligible for health insurance. Ring and ask how they read it for an insured child before assuming either way.
Where I read this
- Healthy Delaware — Delaware Cancer Treatment Program — Delaware Division of Public Health, read September 10, 2026