Cancer patients can face severe challenges in paying for life-saving care, even when they have private health insurance, according to a new report by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the American Cancer Society.
The report, Spending to Survive: Cancer Patients Confront Holes in the Health Insurance System, highlights five key gaps in the health care system that can leave people with cancer and other life-threatening diseases in financial jeopardy as a result of their diagnosis:
• High cost-sharing and caps on benefits
• Lack of protection from catastrophically high healthcare costs if a patient becomes too sick to work
• The unavailability of adequate and affordable coverage in the individual market
• Limited availability and high premiums for high-risk insurance pools
• Waiting periods, eligibility restrictions, or delayed application for public programs
Read the report.
