Dealing with breast cancer is distressing enough without having to re-mortgage your home or extend your credit card limit to cope with unexpected out-of-pocket medical costs.
But according to Breast Cancer Network Australia boss Kirsten Pilatti, the need to take such desperate measures is an all too common story.
One woman was told by her private doctor that she should expect to shell out "probably hundreds" of her own dollars for her treatment plan.
She has since paid more than $4500 out-of-pocket, and will soon be whacked with another $11,000 bill for a mastectomy.
"This kind of notion of 'it'll be alright, let's get you into treatment', is actually an enormous financial burden to people longer term and is actually causing enormous distress," Ms Pilatti told AAP.
"Not just for the patients, but also for their family and friends."
But things could be on the verge of changing for women like those Ms Pilatti works with.
Australians will soon be able to learn for the first time what a medical specialist charges before they see them.
A new federal government-funded website will be launched in the coming months, outlining specialists' costs in an effort to stamp out very large or unexpected out-of-pocket fees.
The commitment comes as the government releases a report into out-of-pocket costs, which represent the difference between what is charged for a service and the combined Medicare and private health insurance benefits for it.
Australians and the private health industry are increasingly worried about the fees, according to the report from a ministerial advisory committee.
"More recently, a minority of medical specialists have been charging very large fees, including to patients on low incomes," it states.
An education campaign will also be run in the coming months to raise awareness of the impact massive fees have on people's lives.
It will also let Australians know that higher fees do not always mean a better quality of care.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said most doctors are doing the right thing, but the minority who aren't are being put on notice.
"We know that every dollar matters for families. This website will give families choice and information," he said on Saturday.
Ms Hunt said people often feel committed to a particular specialist after initial consultations with them, making such transparency vital.
Ms Pilatti said making sure doctors do upload their data to the system will be key.
Australians forked out $3 billion to cover out-of-pocket payments for medical services in 2017/18, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
