Many patients find their insurance does not cover all of the costs related to a bone marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant. If you are pursuing a transplant through Be The Match®, you may be eligible for financial aid programs.* Funds from these programs can help you pay for the cost of a donor search and for some post-transplant expenses.
Applications for these financial aid programs must be submitted to Be The Match through your transplant center. Please speak with your transplant center coordinator or social worker, if you would like to apply. Certain eligibility requirements apply. For questions, call Be The Match Patient Services at 1 (888) 999-6743.
Be The Match is operated by the National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP).
*Funds for financial aid programs are available through the generous contributions to the Be The Match Foundation®.
Search assistance funds
If your insurance coverage does not pay for search costs, the Search Assistance Funds can help pay the costs for searching the Be The Match Registry® of unrelated adult donors and umbilical cord blood units. If approved, the grant information is sent directly to the transplant center; this process allows the transplant center to begin the donor search process so you can move forward with your transplant as soon as possible.
To be eligible:
- Your treatment plan must meet certain eligilbility requirements.
- Your NMDP transplant center has determined you do not have enough insurance coverage to cover the donor search costs.
- You do not have the financial resources to pay for these costs on your own.
- You must be a U.S. resident.
Transplant support assistance funds
Transplant Support Assistance Funds help pay for some costs during the first six months after transplant that are not covered by insurance. These funds can be helpful with costs related to:
- Temporary housing, if you and your family or caregiver need to relocate for the transplant
- Food for you and your family or caregiver
- Parking and gas for ground transportation
- Co-pays for prescriptions and clinic visits
- Insurance premiums (to continue your insurance coverage)
To be eligible:
- You must be within the first six months of your transplant.
- Your transplant must meet certain eligibility requirements.
- You meet financial eligibility criteria.
- You must be a U.S. resident.
Air miles program
The Air Miles Program may be able to provide up to two round-trip tickets for you, or your family or caregivers, to fly to your transplant center. Requests for one-way tickets cannot be approved.
To be eligible:
- Your transplant must meet certain eligibility requirements.
- You must be a U.S. resident.
- You must comply with any applicable limitations of the airline.