Cancer

Where to Find Free or Low-Cost Cancer Screening

Cancer screening shouldn’t be a luxury. Here’s how to find screening services without going broke.

Margot Slade
By Medically Reviewed by 
Reviewed:
Medically Reviewed
senior Hispanic woman getting a mammogram
Many people forego screening rather than try to navigate the complexities of paying for it. But there are simple avenues to finding help.Isaac Lane Koval/Getty Images

The statistics tell a compelling tale: For several types of cancer, early screening and prompt diagnosis are key to survival.

Unfortunately, the story doesn’t always play out that way for many people in the United States.

Access to screening starts with the ability to pay for it, and that’s a daunting challenge for those who are uninsured or “underinsured” — people who have insurance that doesn’t cover all their needs. It’s a group that, together, made up 43 percent of working-age adults in 2022, according to the Commonwealth Fund Biennial Health Insurance Survey.

The result is what you might expect. Studies repeatedly find that un- or inadequately insured people tend to forgo cancer screenings, are more often diagnosed with late-stage harder-to-treat cancers, and experience higher mortality rates as a result.

The good news: Government programs, community clinics, medical practices, and an array of nonprofits are trying to close the cancer-screening gap by helping uninsured and underinsured individuals find free and low-cost screenings, or financial help to pay for them and for any necessary follow-up services.

Here are the types of assistance available.

Help Navigating Low or No-Cost Screening and Financial Assistance

  • NeedyMeds NeedyMeds has a large searchable database of clinics that offer medical services, such as screenings, that are free, low-cost, low-cost with a sliding scale based on income, or some type of financial assistance.
  • Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF) Connect online with case managers who will help identify financial assistance programs and resources. Or call 800-532-5274 (Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET).
  • Hospital-based patient navigators and financial counselors Many hospitals and oncology practices have nurse navigators, social workers, or financial counselors who can help people access affordable cancer screenings or the means to pay for screenings and any necessary follow-ups.
  • Cancer screening events Check nearby hospitals, medical centers, religious institutions, online community bulletin boards, community centers, and local newspapers or news websites for listings of free cancer screening events.

Clinics and Health Centers Geared to People Who Are Uninsured or Underinsured

  • State, District of Columbia, Territory, City, County health departments and Tribal and Native American organizations Many of these agencies and organizations provide free or low-cost cancer screenings to people with limited incomes. Find health department listings for them — in English and Spanish/Español — on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Health Department Directories site. Or call 800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636).
  • Federally qualified health centers, aka community health centers (FQHC) Funded by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), FQHCs are community-based primary and preventive care facilities that function like outpatient clinics for millions of people, regardless of ability to pay.
  • FQHC Look-Alikes Tribal and Native American organizations and so-called FQHC Look-Alikes (which meet eligibility requirements, but don’t receive grant funding) may also receive special Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement as if they were FQHCs. Find the nearest FQHC or Look-Alike here. (Instructions are available in languages other than English.)
  • Free and charitable clinics These nonprofits, which are members of the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, use volunteers and donations to provide health-related services to people who are uninsured, underinsured, or have limited or no access to primary, specialty, or prescription healthcare. Find a free clinic on the NAFC's website.
  • Hill-Burton assistance programs and facilities States established these nonprofit community hospitals using federal grants under the 1946 Hospital Survey and Construction Act (aka the Hill-Burton Act). They provide free or reduced-cost/pay-what-you-can health services not covered by a government program such as Medicare or Medicaid to people with limited income. Learn about the Hill-Burton program and your eligibility on the HRSA site. Find Hill-Burton facilities in your state here. Or call 800-638-0742.
  • Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) As members of the National Association of Rural Health Clinics, these facilities are dedicated to providing cost-effective, quality healthcare to patients in rural, underserved communities. Here’s how to find the nearest RHC.

By Zip Code

  1. Go to https://qcor.cms.gov/main.jsp.
  2. Scroll to the bottom of the left-side tool bar and click on Rural Health Clinics (RHCs).
  3. Under Search/Provider Reports, click on Active Provider and Supplier Counts.
  4. In the upper-right corner of the screen, click on Search for a Rural Health Clinic.
  5. Type in your zip code (left side of screen) and click Search.
  6. Search using the zip codes of nearby communities.

By State

  1. Go to https://qcor.cms.gov/main.jsp.
  2. Scroll to the bottom of the left-side tool bar and click on Rural Health Clinics (RHCs).
  3. Under Search/Provider Reports, click on Active Provider and Supplier Counts.
  4. Click Run Report (top middle of your screen).
  5. Click National Total (in bright blue, at the bottom left of the Active Provider and Supplier Counts Report graphic).
  6. Search for your state and nearby communities.

Want to Search by Type of Cancer? Try These Organizations

Breast and Cervical Cancer

American Breast Cancer Foundation The foundation’s Breast Cancer Assistance Program provides aid to uninsured and underserved individuals regardless of age or gender, for screenings and diagnostic tests.

National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) Overseen by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this long-standing program offers low-income, uninsured, underinsured, and other medically underserved women access to breast and cervical cancer screenings (including magnetic resonance imaging/MRIs for high-risk women in some states) and diagnostic services.

The program also provides patient navigators who can help people negotiate barriers — including financial barriers — to screening and care. The CDC doesn’t provide the screening services directly. Rather it funds awardees in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, 2 U.S. territories, 5 U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands, and 13 American Indian and Alaska Native tribes or tribal organizations, who then contract with healthcare providers in their jurisdictions.

Women can determine their eligibility and search for free or low-cost screenings on the CDC’s website. For more information or assistance, contact the CDC directly at 800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636) or via email.

Make sure to ask:

  • Do any local providers send mobile mammogram vans into nearby neighborhoods?
  • If cancer is detected during screening in this program, does the state extend Medicaid benefits to cover the costs of treatment?

Planned Parenthood provides links to health centers across the United States (via phone, telehealth, or in person visits) that may help provide various affordable preventive services including breast exams, cervical-pelvic exams, and cancer screenings, regardless of insurance coverage.

Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal Cancer Alliance For the alliance’s Screening Support Program helpline, call 877-422-2030.

For the Cottonelle and BLKHLTH-sponsored Screening Assistance Fund for Black Americans, who have a higher incidence and death rate from the disease, call 877-422-2030 and mention the #GoodDownThere campaign.

National Colorectal Cancer Control Program The CDC’s Colorectal Cancer Control Program (CRCCP) focuses on increasing screening among people ages 45 to 75 within clinics that serve individuals with lower incomes and where fewer than 60 percent of patients are up to date on screening. The CDC doesn’t provide screening tests directly, but funds states, universities, tribal organizations, and other groups that do. Here is the list of grantees so that you can contact any programs near you.

Lung Cancer

American Lung Association The organization’s Lung HelpLine can answer questions about affordable screening tests. Call 800-586-4872 (Monday–Friday 7 a.m.–9 p.m. CT; weekends 9 a.m.–5 p.m. After hours, leave a message. TTY for hearing impaired: 800-501-1068.)

Prostate Cancer

Zero Prostate Cancer Call the organization’s helpline at 844-244-1309 for information on financial support for prostate cancer screening and for free prostate cancer testing near you.

Skin Cancers (Melanoma)

American Academy of Dermatology Association Find a nearby free skin cancer screening and information on conducting a skin cancer self-exam. Concerned about paying for these services? The association suggests:

Call a dermatologist’s office and ask if you can get a discounted bill.

  1. Find a local dermatologist.
  2. When you call the office, tell the person who answers the phone that you’d like to know if discounted bills are available for people who don’t have health insurance.
  3. If discounted bills are available:
  • Tell the person that you just had a (free) skin cancer screening and the screener found a spot that could be skin cancer.
  • Ask how much it will cost for an office visit with a discounted bill.
  • Ask for an estimated cost if the dermatologist needs to perform a procedure such as a skin biopsy.
  • If you cannot afford the cost, ask for a referral to a dermatologist (or clinic) who can help you.
  • If you’re uninsured, find more guidance and resources.

American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Find a free skin cancer screening near you. If there are none, contact a local board-certified dermatologist/dermatologic surgeon through the ASDS directory and ask about options that person’s practice might offer you.

Screenings for Special Communities/Groups

  • Healthcare for the homeless centers and mobile health centers These facilities generally provide preventive and other services free of charge to people with incomes below the poverty level and use a sliding-fee scale for everyone else. To find these centers, ask any organizations that serve those experiencing homelessness or use the HRSA search tool.
  • Migrant health centers The federal Migrant Health Program (aka National Center for Farmworker Health [NCFH]) provides funds to health centers nationwide to provide healthcare to nearly 800,000 farmworkers and their families every year. While some health centers are operated by state and local health departments (or other government entities), most are private, not-for-profit corporations owned and operated by community-based organizations (CBOs). Find a nearby migrant health center. You can also use the HRSA search tool.
  • Migrant health voucher programs (MHVPs) The goal of these grant programs is to increase access to comprehensive, integrated, quality primary healthcare for migratory and seasonal agricultural workers.
  • Public housing residents Look for these health centers on site in public housing. You can also use the HRSA search tool, or ask local public housing agencies.
  • Veterans Use the HRSA search tool to find a nearby FQHC. For prostate cancer screening, you can also reach out to Veterans Prostate Cancer Awareness (VPCa), a nonprofit organization that puts veterans in touch with various resources to promote early diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer.