PORTLAND, Ore.—October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and this year, an estimated 3,400 Oregon women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Research shows that access to quality and affordable health care coverage is key in the ability to fight cancer.
Cancer is one of the leading causes of disease and death in the United States. An analysis by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) shows that cancer patients pay nearly $4 billion in out-of-pocket costs each year and the disease cost the country nearly $88 billion every year in health care spending.
On Friday, October 26, a group of patient advocates, health care experts, insurers and medical professionals will discuss the pressing issues surrounding the cost of cancer at ACS CAN’s annual healthcare policy forum.
A national authority on the cost of cancer will share her insight as a featured speaker at the event, focusing on the cost of breast cancer care across different types of insurance. Jennifer Singleterry is a senior policy analyst for ACS CAN and the author of ACS CAN’s report: The Cost of Cancer: Addressing Patient Costs.
"Cancer takes an enormous toll on people’s physical health, and it also has a tremendous financial impact," said Singleterry, who is traveling from Washington, D.C. to speak at the event. "We know that having access to quality health insurance is essential to make treating cancer more affordable for patients and survivors. Even with insurance, cancer patients often face unpredictable or unmanageable costs. Being diagnosed with cancer is scary enough – but we know many cancer patients also fear the financial toll it will take on them and their families."
The event will also discuss the critical role of Oregon’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening program which provides access to breast and cervical cancer screening and early detection services to low-income, uninsured women in the state. One of ACS CAN’s policy priorities during the 2019 legislative session will be to increase funding for this lifesaving program.
The ACS CAN healthcare policy luncheon will be held at the Multnomah Athletic Club on Friday, October 26 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. It’s free and open to the public. Learn more and register at www.fightcancer.org/events/2018-oregon-healthcare-policy-forum-luncheon.
ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.
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