– Lindy Washburn, NorthJersey.com

Frances Giordano found out she had lung cancer in June. After that, the bad news just kept coming.

Frances Giordano, 59, of Dumont is battling lung cancer, the loss of a job due to her illness and staggering medical bills. First, she discovered that even with a good job and health insurance, her medical expenses were more than she could afford on disability.

Then she started slipping into debt, like millions of other Americans who don't have the cash to cover their medical bills. Hospitals expect to be paid promptly and offer little leeway to insured patients. Unpaid bills go to collection agencies, damaging a person's credit history for years.

Finally, she learned that fighting for her life was not her only battle or maybe even her toughest. When she finished her chemotherapy in December, she was fired. "Due to changes in business operations," wrote her employer of more than six years, "We can no longer hold your position open."

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