HealthWell Foundation Achieves Milestone of Assisting Over Half a Million People Living with Cancer
Over $2.6 Billion in Grants Awarded through More Than 40 Oncology Funds
GERMANTOWN, Md. — June 23, 2026 — The HealthWell Foundation®, an independent non-profit charitable organization that provides financial assistance for underinsured Americans, marks its latest milestone of providing medication copayment and insurance premium assistance to over half a million people living with cancer.
Since 2004, the Foundation has helped 503,644 people living with cancer through 767,950 oncology-related grants totaling $2,619,205,221 in financial assistance. As part of the total number of oncology patients assisted, HealthWell also helped 728 patients through 1,070 grants totaling $503,871 from the Cancer-Related Behavioral Health Fund and Oncology Caregiver Behavioral Health Fund. Average oncology grant utilization was $5,060 overall and $777 for the two behavioral health funds.
HealthWell’s robust portfolio of oncology funds is designed to assist patients with out-of-pocket costs for critical, often lifesaving, medications and treatments they may otherwise forgo due to cost. Among the Foundation’s 41 oncology funds include funds to help patients living with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Mantle Cell Lymphoma, and Multiple Myeloma.
“As we continue to observe National Cancer Survivor’s Month, HealthWell reaffirms our long-held commitment to serving the oncology community,” said Michael S. Heimall, FACHE, President & CEO, HealthWell Foundation. “We know how financially devastating a cancer diagnosis can be – how it often forces patients to make difficult choices between paying for medication or for food, rent, or daily necessities. Eliminating financial barriers to care through our oncology funds allows patients to focus on receiving the care they need without the added stress and uncertainty about how to afford it.”
Cancer Health, a website created to empower people living with cancer, recently profiled HealthWell as part of its Cancer Health 25 issue showcasing an inspiring and eclectic group of people helping cancer patients and fighting health inequities. In the issue, a HealthWell grant recipient shared how finding a financial lifeline to cover the costs of her multiple myeloma treatments helped save her budget and her peace of mind.
“We struggled as educators,” Carolyn S. said in the article, after describing the high costs of medications needed to treat her condition. “We didn’t make huge salaries. And knowing that I don’t have that financial pressure – because I know what it’s done to people who haven’t had a financial backup – has been a great relief and lessened a tremendous stress. I’m just so grateful for that and for the help from the HealthWell Foundation along my journey.”
To learn more about HealthWell’s programs and robust disease fund portfolio, visit HealthWellFoundation.org.
About the HealthWell Foundation
A nationally recognized, independent non-profit organization founded in 2003, the HealthWell Foundation has served as a safety net across 100 disease areas for more than 1.3 million underinsured patients. Since its inception, HealthWell has provided over $5.2 billion in financial support through more than 2.2 million grants to access life-changing medical treatments patients otherwise would not be able to afford. HealthWell provides financial assistance to adults and children facing medical hardship resulting from gaps in their insurance that cause out-of-pocket medical expenses to escalate rapidly; HealthWell assists with the treatment-related cost-sharing obligations of these patients. HealthWell ranked 17th on the 2025 Forbes list of America’s Top 100 Charities and was recognized for its 100 percent fundraising efficiency. For more information, visit HealthWellFoundation.org.
