How much does chemotherapy costs if you don't have medical insurance? Dr. Emily Altman (NJ) answers on Quora.com

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Depending on income, many pharmaceutical companies will provide medication for free. Also, hospitals often have programs called Charity Care. It is a state run program. I am not sure whether all states have it or a similar one, but here is a link to what the New Jersey one looks like:

http://www.nj.gov/health/charity...

This is from about.com http://healthinsurance.about.com...

Charity care programs typically require that the applicant be ineligible for any type of health insurance coverage, including Medicaid. Patients may need to provide financial information demonstrating that they are unable to pay.

Also, the cost of medications depends on what medications the oncologist chooses for treatment.

Also, is there a way to extend the health insurance your friend has now? That way, she won't have to deal with "pre existing conditions" clause that many health insurance companies have.