The number of cancer survivors in the United States has been increasing for a few years now, and currently, there are nearly 17 million people in the country who have been diagnosed with some form of cancer. It is no surprise that the treatment for this fatal disease comes at a huge price and has resulted in a financial crisis for the survivors.
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The report states the expenses of cancer survivors
A recent report was published in the Morbidity And Mortality Weekly Journal Of US Centres For Disease Control And Prevention. Released on Thursday, the report highlighted the expenses that cancer patients have to face in the country.
It was revealed that nearly one-fourth of the survivors have admitted to facing severe problems in paying their medical bills and one third are worried about hospital-based costs. It is obvious that a cancer survivor has higher expenses than somebody who has never suffered from the disease.
The report was titled Annual Out-of-Pocket Expenditures and Financial Hardships Among Cancer Survivors Aged 18–64 Years. It revealed that on an average, a cancer survivor spends $1,000 as an annual out of the pocket expense. The expenses for a non-cancer affected person are $622.
How many patients are struggling
25% of the patients are struggling with material hardships related to the disease, and about 34% are struggling with psychological difficulties stating that they are worried about the medical bills.
“The population of cancer survivors is growing and many struggles to pay for costs of medical care. As a result, some survivors are worried about paying and have problems paying for medical care, and some are even forced to file for bankruptcy,” said Donatus Ekwueme, author of the report and a senior health economist at the CDC.
The report does have its limitations because it was based on self-supported details of the survivors. It also does not reveal any information regarding the type of treatment and the stage of cancer that the survivors received.
