Pennsylvania program
Cancer-bill help for Hershey families (Four Diamonds)
Cancer-bill assistance for Pennsylvania families through Penn State Health Golisano Children’s Hospital in Hershey. Four Diamonds helps with eligible costs left by insurance when the cancer diagnosis occurred before age 22.
What it is
Cancer-bill assistance for Pennsylvania families through Penn State Health Golisano Children’s Hospital in Hershey. Four Diamonds helps with eligible costs left by insurance when the cancer diagnosis occurred before age 22.
Four Diamonds can remove eligible cancer-related medical balances for Pennsylvania families treated at Hershey. The diagnosis must have occurred before age 22. The oncology social worker confirms enrollment and any exception for care needed elsewhere.
Eligibility rules
- Four Diamonds is for Pennsylvania families whose child was diagnosed before age 22 and is treated at the Hershey children's hospital. The Hershey team confirms enrollment and any exception for care elsewhere.
- The Hershey social worker confirms current enrollment conditions, any income or insurance requirements, required benefit paperwork and exactly which cancer-related bills are covered.
What you get
- 100% of eligible cancer-related medical expenses insurance does not cover.
- Lodging and transportation help through the hospital's program.
- No family charge for the assistance.
What the help includes
- The program covers eligible cancer-related medical costs left after insurance. Unrelated medical costs need a separate coverage or assistance review.
- Lodging and transportation help are described by the hospital, with the practical arrangements handled there.
If you decide to apply
- Ask the Hershey oncology social worker about enrolling your child in Four Diamonds.
- Have the diagnosis date and insurance cards ready.
- Ask which bills, lodging and travel costs the program can cover for your child.
717-531-1740 · Official page ↗
After you ask
- Enrollment takes place through the hospital's social work and financial-assistance team. Confirmation tells the family how eligible remaining bills will be handled.
- The financial-assistance office number is 717-531-1740.
Good to know
The Hershey team confirms eligibility and which cancer-related bills are included. It can also explain any exception when your child’s needs require another hospital.
Other details
- An insurance statement is useful for showing what the plan covered and what remains.
- Another hospital generally uses its own assistance policy. The Hershey team can confirm whether your child’s needs allow a Four Diamonds exception for care elsewhere.
Official sources
“Could Four Diamonds cover our child's remaining cancer bills at Hershey? Could you explain any limits and travel help, then help us enroll if our child qualifies?”
Why I’m asking: I want to know which treatment costs the hospital program can take off our family's budget.
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
Ask to be enrolled at the first meeting with the social worker.
Your social worker
The Hershey social worker enrolls the family and connects lodging and transportation help.
The care team
Records and letters when the application asks for them.
- Who decides
- Four Diamonds through Penn State Health
- Ask your social worker
- “Can you enroll us in Four Diamonds now, and tell us what it covers beyond the medical bills, such as lodging and travel?”
How to apply
First step: Ask the Hershey oncology social worker to enroll the child in Four Diamonds (financial assistance office 717-531-1740).
- Ask the Hershey social worker to enroll the child in Four Diamonds at diagnosis.
Official application / program page ↗
Where it starts: The hospital's social work and financial assistance office enrolls families.
What to gather
- Insurance cards
- Diagnosis date
How long: Enrollment at diagnosis through the social worker.
What a yes looks like
Enrollment confirmed; cancer-related bills the plan leaves go to Four Diamonds.
What a no looks like, and the next move
The hospital explains an enrollment refusal and whether an exception or another assistance policy applies.
Watch out
- The Hershey team confirms enrollment and any patient-need exception for care elsewhere.
- No published income limit; ask the social worker what the enrollment asks for.
Each hospital’s own policy
The federal rule sets the floor; each hospital’s policy sets the actual numbers. “Unknown” means the policy could not be read yet: call the number and ask.
| Hospital | Free care up to | Discounts up to | Insured families | Financial counselor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children's Hospital of Philadelphia · policy | unknown | unknown | unknown | 800-974-2125 |
| UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh · policy | 300% FPL | 400% FPL | yes | 833-298-7321 option 2 |
| Penn State Health Golisano Children's Hospital · policy | 300% FPL | 300% FPL | yes | 717-531-1740 |
| St. Christopher's Hospital for Children · policy | 200% FPL | 400% FPL | yes | 484-628-5683 |
| Geisinger Janet Weis Children's Hospital · policy | 300% FPL | 300% FPL | yes | 800-640-4206 |
| Lehigh Valley Reilly Children's Hospital · policy | unknown | unknown | yes | 484-884-0840 |
The numbers and the rules
The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 9, 2026.
What it is worth
At Penn State Children's: 100% of cancer-related medical expenses not covered by insurance for a child diagnosed before age 22; help with lodging and transportation in practice.
- $100 — Share of eligible cancer-related medical expenses not covered by insurance
- $22 — Diagnosed before age
Covers: Cancer-related medical expenses not covered by insurance · Lodging and transportation assistance (hospital description; practice)
What it costs the family: None.
The eligibility facts, as published
- Hospital
- Pennsylvania families treated at Penn State Health Golisano Children’s Hospital, Hershey; the program confirms any patient-need exception involving another hospital.
- Age
- diagnosed with cancer before age 22
- Income
- no published ceiling
The trap: Assuming every Pennsylvania children's cancer program has this. Pennsylvania has no state childhood-cancer fund; Four Diamonds is Hershey's.
Where I read this
- Penn State Health — Pediatric Cancer Care — Penn State Health, read September 8, 2026
- Penn State Health — Financial Assistance — Penn State Health, read September 8, 2026
- Geisinger Janet Weis Children's Hospital — Patient and Visitor Information — Geisinger, read September 8, 2026