Texas Woman With Stage 4 Cancer Says Insurance Won’t Cover the Scans That Check If It’s Spreading: ‘I’m a Little Too Poor for My Treatment’
The bone density scan is covered as preventive care — but the scans checking if her cancer has spread aren't.
Cancer treatment is often discussed in terms of medicine, survival rates, and new therapies. For many patients, however, another reality sits alongside the diagnosis. The cost of simply keeping up with appointments and tests continues to grow.
That financial pressure has become a recurring topic on TikTok, where patients increasingly document not only their treatment but also the bills that come with it. Many say the hardest part is discovering which parts of their care are covered by insurance and which are left to them.
One recent TikTok from creator @theanniebond has caught viewers’ attention after she documented another medical appointment. Rather than focusing on the scan itself, she used the visit to explain why the cost of cancer care has become one of the biggest challenges she faces while living with stage 4 breast cancer.
She says the hardest part isn’t the scan
She says she is struggling to afford treatment for stage 4 breast cancer and asked viewers to watch her vlog in full. She explains that the earnings could help cover about $1,500 in co-pays.
“I’m a little too poor for my stage 4 breast cancer treatment in Texas right now,” she says at the start of the video. “So if you could watch this whole vlog of me getting a bone density scan, maybe eventually I can pay these $1,500 in co-pays.”
She adds that the financial burden has become emotionally draining. “The thought of how much debt I have just for having cancer is depressing.”
The creator explains that because her breast cancer feeds on estrogen, she has been in menopause since she was 26, which has affected her bone density. She says she undergoes a bone density scan every two years and began taking the medication Fosamax, also known as alendronate sodium, after her previous scan in hopes of improving her bone health.
She says the bone density scan is covered because it is considered preventive care. She adds that the scans used to determine whether her cancer has spread are treated differently.
”Apparently this one is covered because it’s preventative,” she says. “But the scans of me being able to tell whether or not I have, you know, any cancer occurring, that’s not preventative.”
The creator describes the bone density exam as one of the easiest medical tests she receives, saying it takes about five minutes. She encourages anyone delaying the test not to avoid it if their doctor recommends one.
She also shares that her phone fell before the exam began, leaving her without footage of the scan itself. During the visit, she recalls correcting a staff member who mistakenly referred to her oophorectomy as a hysterectomy. She also notes that the medical paperwork asked whether she had undergone a hysterectomy but did not include a question about an oophorectomy.
Looking ahead, she says her next appointment will be a bone scan that requires an injection followed by a wait of about three hours before imaging. She expects that appointment to be the longest of the series.
Her experience also mirrors other accounts of the financial challenges tied to cancer care, including one in which a mother said a hospital wanted $500,000 before starting her child’s chemotherapy and another where a woman detailed the obstacles she faced while trying to get a breast cancer screening, underscoring how insurance and medical costs continue to affect patients.
The video prompted an outpouring of support in the comments. Several viewers wished her well and said they hoped she could cover her medical costs, while others criticized the cost of healthcare in the United States. One commenter wrote, “Our health care system is such a damn joke! I’m so sorry.” Another added, “I’m so sorry this is the world we live in.”
(Featured Image: Screenshot via @theanniebond/TikTok)
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