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Cancer patients face many difficult choices in their care, but one of the most heartbreaking problems may be costly life-saving treatment, but impoverishing their families. To pay their medical bills, even those who are well insured may need to reduce their expenses – not just for holidays and luxury, but for the necessities of life.
Like many women, Marie Cajuste was not insured and struggled financially when she found a lump in one bad. As the Boston Globe recounts his historyshe was slow to seek treatment. At that time, her job barely paid her enough to get by, let alone get health care, even though she sometimes worked double-shift. A year after noticing the size, her children discovered her and insisted that she check it out.
After the hospital staff enrolled her in Medicaid, the doctors discovered a waist-sized ball of a baseball and diagnosed an invasive bad cancer. Treatment started with chemotherapy to reduce the tumor, followed by surgery and radiation therapy. In the meantime, his finances have collapsed.
Prices beyond the scope
According to National Cancer InstituteMany of the drugs and biologics used to treat cancer cost more than $ 10,000 a month. It's just for a medicine. As in the case of Cajuste, the best technique for remission of patients often requires several therapies. His chemotherapy alone involved two or three different drugs. In addition, cancer care often involves teams of specialists who do not come cheap.
While having insurance reduces the amount owed by patients for their care, cost sharing strikes a lot with bills that leave them staggering. At the same time, patients may have to stop working or work less, creating a perfect financial storm. Cajuste had to leave her job in a retirement home because chemotherapy had weakened her immune system and she had to minimize exposure to germs.
The unpredictable costs of cancer care, often compounded by loss of income, can devastate patients and their families. In one study of 9.5 million Cancer survivors aged 50 or older, about 42% had exhausted their vital savings and all their other badets only two years after diagnosis. Other research found that people with cancer are 2.65 times more likely than others to go bankrupt.
Toxic prices
Oncologists are increasingly concerned that high prices will prevent patients from getting the care they need and will exacerbate the already heavy stress of cancer. The situation got so much worse that the doctors made a name for themselves: "financial toxicity. "
"Treatment-related personal expenses are related to physical toxicity, in that costs can affect the quality of life and hinder the delivery of the highest quality of care," doctors S. Yousuf wrote. Zafar and Amy P. Abernethy in the newspaper Oncology.
Even in France, which provides universal health care that pays a lot of medical bills, but not all, financial distress plague about 1 in 2 patients who have advanced cancer. This distress accompanies a lesser quality of life, increased anxiety and a higher rate of depression.
Ironically, patients could survive cancer only to give in to the costs of their treatment. In one 2016 studyCancer patients who had declared bankruptcy had a 1.8 times higher risk of death than those who did not.
How Costs Collide with Care
Even for patients who survive, prices beyond their reach hinder efforts to control their cancer. A research team estimated that more than 2 million (8%) of cancer survivors had to give up one or more needed medical services because of costs.
To make ends meet, some patients cut corners on their care. They take fewer medications than prescribed, partially fulfill their prescriptions or do not even fill them at all. They skip procedures or tests. Some go longer between chemotherapy or clinic appointments than their doctor recommends.
Financial difficulties could also jeopardize their health. For example, some patients reduce their social activities to save money when they need the support of family and friends. Lack of adequate food, shelter and utilities can hinder healing. Cajuste lost his home when his landlord sued him for unpaid rent. Fortunately, his sister took it temporarily.
Difficult conversations
Embarrbaded by his fate, Cajuste hid his money from the doctors. Finally, she spoke to her care navigator about her financial stress, thinking it might explain her hypertension.
Most cancer patients want to know about the costs, but I've never had a health professional address the subject. However, the American Society of Clinical Oncology felt that it was essential to discuss costs with patients to provide quality care.
By providing financial advice, treatment centers can help patients and their families make the best decisions possible. Transparent pricing can enable patients and their physicians to decide whether the likely benefits of treatment justify the cost. The most useful are the cost estimates for patients.
Additional information could come from the use of real-world data, encouraged by the 21st & nbsp; Act Century Cures. Knowing which drugs work best in real life and how much they cost could help patients to do more than live longer with clear scans. This could help them to flourish and enjoy life after cancer.
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Cancer patients face many difficult choices in their care, but one of the most heartbreaking problems may be costly life-saving treatment, but impoverishing their families. To pay their medical bills, even those who are well insured may need to reduce their expenses – not just for holidays and luxury, but for the necessities of life.
Like many women, Marie Cajuste was not insured and struggled financially when she found a lump in one bad. As the Boston Globe tells her story, she is slow to seek treatment. At that time, her job barely paid her enough to get by, let alone get health care, even though she sometimes worked double-shift. A year after noticing the size, her children discovered her and insisted that she check it out.
After the hospital staff enrolled her in Medicaid, the doctors discovered a waist-sized ball of a baseball and diagnosed an invasive bad cancer. Treatment started with chemotherapy to reduce the tumor, followed by surgery and radiation therapy. In the meantime, his finances have collapsed.
Prices beyond the scope
According to the National Cancer Institute, many drugs and biologics used to treat cancer cost more than $ 10,000 a month. It's just for a medicine. As in the case of Cajuste, the best technique for remission of patients often requires several therapies. His chemotherapy alone involved two or three different drugs. In addition, cancer care often involves teams of specialists who do not come cheap.
While having insurance reduces the amount owed by patients for their care, cost sharing strikes a lot with bills that leave them staggering. At the same time, patients may have to stop working or work less, creating a perfect financial storm. Cajuste had to leave her job in a retirement home because chemotherapy had weakened her immune system and she had to minimize exposure to germs.
The unpredictable costs of cancer care, often compounded by loss of income, can devastate patients and their families. In a study of 9.5 million cancer survivors aged 50 or older, about 42% had exhausted their life savings and all their other badets only two years after the diagnosis. Other research has revealed that people with cancer are 2.65 times more likely than others to go bankrupt.
Toxic prices
Oncologists are increasingly concerned that high prices will prevent patients from getting the care they need and will exacerbate the already heavy stress of cancer. The situation got so much worse that the doctors gave it the name of "financial toxicity".
"Treatment-related personal expenses are related to physical toxicity, in that costs can affect the quality of life and hinder the delivery of the highest quality of care," doctors S. Yousuf wrote. Zafar and Amy P. Abernethy in the newspaper Oncology.
Even in France, which provides universal health care that pays many, but not all, bills, financial distress hits one in two patients with advanced cancer. This distress accompanies a lesser quality of life, increased anxiety and a higher rate of depression.
Ironically, patients could survive cancer only to give in to the costs of their treatment. In a study conducted in 2016, cancer patients who had declared bankruptcy had a risk of death 1.8 times higher than those who did not.
How costs are met with care
Even for patients who survive, prices beyond their reach hinder efforts to control their cancer. A research team estimated that more than 2 million (8%) of cancer survivors had to give up one or more needed medical services because of costs.
To make ends meet, some patients took care. They take fewer medications than prescribed, partially fulfill their prescriptions or do not even fill them at all. They skip procedures or tests. Some go longer between chemotherapy or clinic appointments than their doctor recommends.
Financial difficulties could also jeopardize their health. For example, some patients reduce their social activities to save money when they need the support of family and friends. Lack of adequate food, shelter and utilities can hinder healing. Cajuste lost his home when his landlord sued him for unpaid rent. Fortunately, his sister took it temporarily.
Difficult conversations
Embarrbaded by his fate, Cajuste hid his money from the doctors. Finally, she spoke to her care navigator about her financial stress, thinking it might explain her hypertension.
Most cancer patients want to know more about the costs, but they have never been interviewed by a health professional. However, the American Society of Clinical Oncology has found it essential to discuss costs with patients to ensure quality care.
By providing financial advice, treatment centers can help patients and their families make the best decisions possible. Transparent pricing can enable patients and their physicians to decide whether the likely benefits of treatment justify the cost. The most useful are the cost estimates for patients.
Additional information could come from the use of real-world data, encouraged by the 21st Century Treatment Act. Knowing which drugs work best in real life and how much they cost could help patients to do more than live longer with clear scans. This could help them to flourish and enjoy life after cancer.
