The Costs of Cancer

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The Costs of Cancer

As a leading cause of death and disease in the U.S., cancer takes a huge toll on the health of patients and survivors, and it also has a great impact on their finances. The costs of cancer do not impact all patients equally. Evidence consistently shows that certain factors – like race/ethnicity, health insurance status, income and where a person lives – impact cancer diagnosis, treatment, survival and financial hardship experienced by people with cancer and their families.

ACS CAN is making cancer – and the affordability of cancer care – a top priority for public officials and candidates at the federal, state and local levels by creating awareness of the high costs of cancer and working to pass policies that make cancer treatment more affordable and reduce its financial impact on people with cancer, survivors and their families.


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The Costs of Cancer Resources

People facing cancer and survivors who don’t have health insurance have high health care costs, poor access to care, poor cancer outcomes and experience a great amount of financial hardship.

People facing cancer and survivors with limited incomes experience higher health care costs and significantly more financial hardship compared to individuals who have not been diagnosed with cancer.

People facing cancer and survivors who live in rural communities are more likely to have limited incomes and to die from cancer than their urban counterparts. They also experience serious financial hardship.

To examine the costs of cancer in these specific communities, researchers conducted multiple original analyses of national datasets.

This 2020 report examines the factors contributing to the cost of cancer care and illustrates what several typical cancer patients pay with various types of insurance coverage. The report makes policy recommendations for reducing the costs of cancer on patients, survivors and their families.

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