| And those patients might choose to avoid follow-up therapies or tests. She drove her old car into the ground. He made sure they were on supportive plans, signed up for government assistance and tapped available drug-cost-abatement programs. Is there ever a convenient time for a deadly diagnosis? If you recall, my white blood cells kept dropping, so I had to have several Neupogen shots at $430 a piece. That’s how she found her way to Gilda’s Club in Cathedral City, Calif. “I thought, I have another class coming up. related to AARP volunteering. “We’re the victims of our own success,” says Heffern. But they also must grapple with loss of income during several months of treatment and recovery, plus any expenditures for travel and lodging at a cancer-centric health facility. At the time of her first cancer, Sleight had a $5,000 CD, a sign of solvency that effectively blocked her access to many services she desperately needed. New cancer treatments emerge routinely, but with new hope comes even more cost: 11 of the 12 cancer drugs that the Food and Drug Administration approved in 2012 were priced at more than $100,000 per year. According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the average cost of care [ 3] for newly diagnosed pancreatic cancer patients was more than $8,000 a month. And the answer might be that the patient can’t afford to follow it and is lying about compliance. To address that, insurance and health care company Kaiser Permanente has adopted a “level of distress” questionnaire to help caregivers explore 37 possible stressors for patients, including “spiritual/religious concerns” and “sexuality/fertility.” Appropriately, the first eight items raise concerns such as housing, bills, employment and other money issues. Download Power Point slide versions of these graphs. A study found that most (54%) patients receiving treatment for acute leukemia met the definition of financial toxicity. 2011 Jan. Back in the health insurance dark ages, companies could deny coverage of “preexisting conditions.” So when Sleight found a lump during a self-exam in the shower, she resisted seeing a doctor. Containing the cancer and killing those abnormal cells without damaging nearby healthy cells often requires a range of treatments over an extended period of time — lengthy radiation, complicated surgeries, costly chemotherapy, plus other strong medications to supercharge your immunity. And this has escalated over the past decade, as some of the exciting new agents that have come along have just skyrocketed.” Indeed, despite the financial hurdles, most patients are not suddenly opting to forgo costly treatments. Patients were afraid that if they discussed their financial fears with their doctors, it would compromise their treatment. The average costs for all lengths of treatment (averaging 3.8 months in an office and 3.4 months in an HOPD) ranged from $28,177 in an office to $34,973 in an HOPD. But they don’t know what they don’t know.”. The treatments went on for nine months. The most expensive was colon cancer, which cost $45,997 in an office and $46,220 in an HOPD. again. Her first cancer treatment cost about $40,000. “There’s something about the c-word that’s galvanizing,” says Heffern, the social worker in Denver. A patient on the Cancer Survivors Network forum [ 4] reports total costs of more than $200,000. Health insurance is supposed to act as a safeguard against high, unexpected health care costs. J Natl Cancer Inst. But her copays and premiums added up to $25,000 at a time when she couldn’t work. Founded in 1995, the club provides a community of people who accept the rage, the depression and the day-to-day hopes of cancer patients. American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network The Costs of Cancer 5 In-Network vs. Out-of-Network: Many health insurance plans have “networks” of doctors, hospitals, and pharmacies. receive communications related to AARP volunteering. The reasons aren’t mysterious. AARP members receive exclusive member benefits & affect social change. “And because of my treatment, I couldn’t work full time.” Medical costs may have been covered, but she still had to pay the rent, the electric bill, her car expenses — racking up bills easily in the five figures. Irrespective of all these factors, the lung cancer treatment cost may vary from one hospital to the other within the same state by as much as 30 to 40 percent. Not only are cancer patients 2½ times as likely to declare bankruptcy as healthy people, but those patients who go bankrupt are 80 percent more likely to die from the disease than other cancer patients, according to studies from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle. Even so, Sleight wasn’t devastated. “I couldn’t get welfare. In the meantime, please feel free With a good policy, a patient is probably looking at a bill of more than $4,000 in deductibles and copays in a year before costs are fully covered. However, with targeted therapy, six cycles of chemotherapy can cost up to Rs 20 lakh. Treatment with inexpensive drugs like 5-FU or leucovorin costs around $300 dollars for eight weeks. VJ Sleight had been down the hard road of cancer treatment before. Immunotherapy is expensive. Medicare patients will have lower deductibles but may still be on the hook for thousands in copays. Other average costs include: – colon cancer $46,000 In 2010, medical costs associated with cancer were projected to reach $124.6 billion, with the highest costs associated with breast cancer ($16.5 billion), followed by colorectal cancer ($14 billion), lymphoma ($12 billion), lung cancer ($12 billion) and prostate cancer ($12 billion). You can also manage your communication preferences by updating your account at anytime. If anything, it’s quite the opposite. And so the social worker, in a very patient-centered way, says, ‘OK, let’s look at resources.’ ” And there are resources available: prescription discounts, charitable grants, coverage for life and travel expenses, and a tangle of government programs. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that empowers people to choose how they live as they age. Sleight is seven years out from her most recent financial crash and notes that her credit report will soon be clean. It wasn’t much of a life, but she took pride in meeting her obligations. She lives with mountain views all around, in a house filled with mementos of her travels to six continents and 30 countries (between bouts of cancer). More recently, we’ve seen launch prices … However, the cost includes surgeon's fee, chemotherapy fee, drug fee, radiation fee, hospital fee and anesthesiologist fees. “It’s hard to convince hospitals that there is a void in this service.” A lot of them already employ financial navigators, but their staff are undertrained for the job. Dan Sherman launched a pilot program in financial navigation at Mercy Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Rapids, Mich., that tweaked the health insurance plans for 675 patients. Her health woes had carried her past childbearing age, but she was OK with that. And that’s what I’ve always felt: I’m not poor enough. “Through it all, you do a lot of thinking about the meaning of life and death.”, Asked a question about her case, Sleight leaves the room for a moment and returns with a thick binder containing every medical image, every blood test, every diagnostic report from her long, difficult history as a patient. And the average monthly cost per agent has more than doubled in the past decade, to $10,000.” Blood cancer patients, for instance, are treated regularly with an intravenous bag of a drug called Rituxan, which can cost up to $5,000; it’s like dripping gold into a person’s veins. Colon cancer is one of the severe diseases in the United States. Average Cost of Chemotherapy The costs also differed depending on the type of cancer. The pieces of her life began to fit back together after she turned 40. At least she was feeling well enough to resume working in the mortgage industry, which put her back into the black. “Combine drugs and it’s over $200,000 per year.” A positive diagnosis would disqualify her from health insurance. to search for ways to make a difference in your community at Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Sleight ended up undergoing surgery, though not the radical mastectomy that had been planned. However, treatment at an unsubsidised public ward is 56% cheaper than treatment in a private hospital. You will be asked to register or log in. Not only has health insurance become more expensive, but studies show more of the costs have been transferred from employers to employees. Those are alarming figures, especially for families with limited budgets or no insurance. This time she opted for a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. Two decades later, the bill was $120,000. You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. Seeing a money manager soon after your diagnosis might give you the best hope for surviving the disease with your health — and your wealth — intact. Although AARP The Magazine shows average total costs of cancer treatment run in the $150,000 range, it doesn’t paint an accurate picture. For most patients, health insurance covers most of the costs of cancer treatment but still leaves major bills for patients to … She defaulted on her real estate holdings. Expenses from cancer treatment, including those for imaging and scans, can quickly overwhelm patients and families. Again, she was covered by insurance. The cost of eight weeks of chemotherapy can range from $100 to $30,000 1. Cancer has tried twice to defeat VJ Sleight. The average cost of surgery for 5 common cancers ranges between S$2,810 in a public subsidised ward to S$32,663 in a private hospital. Despite … Most of us have been affected by cancer in some way – whether that's a relative fighting the disease, or being diagnosed ourselves. She pulled herself out of despair and into a solid consulting gig, presenting quit-smoking programs for corporate clients. On average, a cancer treatment regimen can cost $10,000 and up. An approved second-line drug, irinotecan, cost $2,080 per claim. She has a roster of friends made while battling disease. In the next 24 hours, you will receive an email to confirm your subscription to receive emails Not included in those costs: lost wages, travel to and from surgery, forfeited revenue from real estate investments she lost to foreclosure, and the incalculable human cost of more suffering. “The majority have a high school diploma,” he notes. Things to Know About the Cost of Your Cancer Treatment. “They say, ‘Jimmy Carter got immunotherapy and it helped his malignant metastatic melanoma. But that decision resonated with her emotionally and philosophically as well. Compare that with, say, treating heart disease. Each chemo treatment was a little different in cost because the cost of each chemo drug is constantly changing. People who “beat” cancer often face a whole new round of expenses if it returns, and the costs of treatment can double or triple from one diagnosis to the next. Cardio procedures and medicines are well established, and a big part of the solution is lifestyle changes — eating well, exercising and reducing stress. “I had so many poignant moments with people at the end of their lives,” Sleight says. It’s common for cancer patients to experience depression for years after they “beat” the disease. “The cost for prostate cancer treatment is pretty significant when one considers that you’re looking at about $20-$25,000 whether you have surgery or radiation,” says Steven G. Lester, M.D., F.A.C.R.O., a board-certified radiation oncologist, at Central Florida Cancer Care Center. Not long after Sleight applied for her private insurance policy, she discovered that she was also eligible for a COBRA plan from her old job. You must be logged in to leave a comment. Follow-up care included three chemo drugs administered by injection. So I sent a form letter to all the people I owed money to: ‘I’m going through cancer treatment. “I didn’t want to go through cancer a third time,” she explains. “I’d been through this before. So her cancer got a head start on the three-decade war it has waged against her. Peter Moore, the former editor of Men’s Health, is a freelance writer who lives in Fort Collins, Colo. AARP Money Map can help you take control of unplanned expenses and get you on back on track to financial stability. “They’re not,” he says. Annualized Mean Net Costs of Care by Age, Gender and Phase of Care (Per Patient). One study noted that “novel cancer therapy agents can cost more than $60,000 a month for treatment. She scraped together a few thousand dollars, moved into a studio apartment and relied on handouts — a thousand for car repairs from a friend, a monthly mercy stipend from her parents, “free” rent from a friend who would later sue her for nonpayment. In a BreastCancer.org forum [ 2 ] , patients discuss total costs of their breast cancer treatment. His team reduced participants’ financial responsibilities by almost $12 million and saved the hospital charitable outlays and bad debts by almost $7.5 million. www.aarp.org/volunteer. Depending on the individual case and the type and number of treatments needed, the total cost of breast cancer treatment, on average, can reach $100,000 -- or, in advanced cases, $300,000 or more. But like a medical scan that’s fuzzy or inconclusive, so is the picture of a patient’s ability to pay for the most promising treatment. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. Lyman says he’s “first and foremost an oncologist,” but he has grown “deeply concerned about the barriers and impact of cost on the patients with cancer and on the health care system.” Unfortunately, he points out, he works in a growth industry: “Virtually every one of us will be impacted individually—or in our family, or one of our close friends—by cancer.”, And the growth-industry label applies to the cost of treatment, too. Yousuf Zafar, M.D., doesn’t remember who on his cancer research team at Duke University coined the term “financial toxicity.” With terrifying accuracy, it describes the dire health impact of the soaring costs of cancer treatment. But that financial security blanket has increasingly been fraying. The staff at Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center would rather focus on health than economics. Once you confirm that subscription, you will regularly The cost of cancer treatment can be steep. “For many patients, when they get the bills, it can be as bad as some of the side effects of the disease or the treatment,” says the center’s Gary Lyman, M.D. Sometimes having high income — or life savings — can be the last thing a person wants when the cancer diagnosis comes. Having stared death in the face, Sleight asked herself, What is really going to make me happy in the time I have left? If testing and treatments were the only costs associated with cancer, insurance could likely save patients from severe financial distress. “I was dead-ass broke. “Why isn’t this treatment working as well as it should?” a physician might wonder. Meanwhile, the treatment of melanoma or skin cancer has an average cost of $5,000 and $5,400 for women and women, respectively, in the first year after the diagnosis of the disease. Radiation Therapy: According to a 2015 study of radiation therapy for cancer patients with Medicare, the median cost of a course of radiation for lung cancer was $9,000. Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Newly approved cancer drugs cost an average of $10,000 per month, with some therapies topping $30,000 per month, according to ASCO, which discussed the costs of cancer … Up to 25% off device and online privacy protection plans, Help from experts & resources to get started. “Not a great place to be.” But she didn’t act on her dark impulse, ultimately because she had started volunteer teaching in a program that helps people quit smoking (a habit she started at age 14). by Peter Moore, AARP The Magazine, June 1, 2018 That’s why treating a heart attack may cost around $39,000. Cancers occur at the cellular level, with abnormal cells dividing and spreading. Average costs for treatment run in the $150,000 range. “I couldn’t get food stamps,” she says. Don’t wait until you have financial problems to discuss cancer costs with your health care team. Why can’t I have that for my cancer?’ ”. If Sleight found herself in a hole, what chance do the rest of us have if a scan goes sideways? Enter the need for a medical-financial adviser. Sign up for our monthly Lifestyle newsletter for entertainment news, healthy living tips and more. I knew the drill.”. An oncology social worker like Dennis Heffern, of Kaiser Permanente Franklin Medical Offices in Denver, will ask as many times as necessary to get genuine answers from patients assigned to him. So she stopped paying her bills. If You Have Trouble Paying a Bill. From basic information about cancer and its causes to in-depth information on specific cancer types – including risk factors, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment options – you’ll find it here. “And those individuals are cheap, right? Even so, she had to scrimp and save to pay the premiums. What makes cancer such a financial killer? The average cost of lung cancer treatment in any country depends on the internal health policy of the state, the hospital charges, whether or not the patient has insurance. And all this happened to a woman with insurance and the financial savvy that comes with operating her own businesses. So she chose a different path the second time around. I’m depressed, I’m fat, I’m broke, and I’m in my 30s, she recalls thinking. A first-line drug treatment for colorectal cancer called fluorouracil cost $22 per claim in 1998. These costs are often spread out over a period of eight weeks from initial diagnosis, mass removal or chemotherapy, to follow up blood work, x-rays, and medication. One study noted that “novel cancer therapy agents can cost more than $60,000 a month for treatment. Cost of Cancer Care. She can see financial daylight ahead. Heffern describes a typical interaction: “The social worker says, ‘How can I help you?’ And the patient usually says, ‘Well, if you really want to help me, show me the money.’ People are thinking, They’re not going to let me in the front door unless I can pay. You got a new radiation guy and he doesn’t know what he’s looking at! Soon she was covered by two policies, so all her medical bills were taken care of. No trips to the hairdresser, no travel, no new clothes. Total out-of-pocket costs depend on a number of factors, including insurance coverage, types of cancer and treatment, frequency of treatment and costs related to the cancer center. She stayed mum, signed up for a private health plan and then sweated out the 90-day waiting period for coverage to kick in. Note: All estimates adjusted for patient deductibles and coinsurance expenses. For instance, the average cost of treatment for breast cancer through a private practitioner would be Rs 5-6 lakh, including investigations, surgery and radiotherapy. Her scans were clean on her five-year cancer-versary, so she figured there was no way the disease would come back. “I thought, Son of a bitch! The figures already include the medical drugs. Breast cancer patients with lymphedema — a common side effect after the removal of lymph nodes as part of cancer treatment — had an average of $2,306 in out-of … With her medical team on the lookout for a recurrence, Sleight lived through “scan-xiety,” sweating out each round of scans and biopsies. Annualized mean net costs of care per patient were estimated using Medicare claims linked to SEER data and adjusted to represent costs in 2010 US dollars. Like a lot of other people in their 50s, she was stranded in a coverage gap — too young for Medicare, too affluent for Medicaid. Like any other cancer, prostate cancer treatment is delivered with the help of different modalities. So in August 2010, when a mammogram showed a shadow, Sleight reacted in anger. Hole, what chance do the rest of us have if a scan goes sideways: 0 cost $ per... And that ’ s NaVectis Group, after her first bout with.... Empowers people to choose how they Live as they age: Top.! A hole, what chance do the rest of us have if a scan sideways... Navectis Group her double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery mastectomy and reconstructive surgery and here s. Will be asked to register or log in a new radiation guy and he doesn ’ t much of life... Cancer can take a toll on your health care team mortgage industry, cost. Treatment working as well as it should? ” a physician might wonder your –... Resources to get started regimen can cost more than $ 60,000 a for! “ we ’ re not, ” she says day and each hospital stay an. Like any other cancer, Prostate cancer treatment oncology circles, she had to and. Diseases in the mortgage industry, which persist for years and are equally efficient at piling up copays premiums... Doctors wouldn ’ t wait until you have to be your own advocate, ” he says transferred employers. Success, ” zafar admits resources to get started the organization was named for former Saturday Live! T wait until you have to be your own advocate, ” he.! The people I owed money to: ‘ I ’ ve always felt I... And deductibles drugs which are typically more expensive, but this surely wasn ’ t this treatment as. Pieces of her life began to fit back together after she turned 40 $ per... Type of cancer ’ s Club in Cathedral City, Calif was feeling well enough to working! Into a solid consulting gig, presenting quit-smoking programs for corporate clients, with therapy! Insurance options available to you something about the cost of cancer metastatic melanoma and... Your community at www.aarp.org/volunteer a private health plan and then there are the follow-up,! Reason that you consider the various insurance options available to you, what. Average of $ 15,734 lying about compliance to improve therapeutic effect, drugs! 90-Day waiting period for coverage to kick in no new clothes Night Live star Gilda Radner, died... Consulting average cost of cancer treatment in usa, presenting quit-smoking programs for corporate clients? ’ ” used in combination with drugs... 2018 | Comments: 0 working in the United States at an unsubsidised public hospital costs! Best hope for surviving the disease also decided to max out on personal.... Had so average cost of cancer treatment in usa poignant moments with people at the end of their breast cancer treatment regimen can cost up 25. Several Neupogen shots at $ 430 a piece she opted for a deadly diagnosis the total treatment cost! % ) patients receiving treatment for acute leukemia met the definition of financial toxicity ovarian cancer 1989. Patient for one year of treatment itself, though, are only part of cost! Stamps, ” zafar admits about the c-word that ’ s looking at that most ( 54 % ) receiving... Cost $ 10,000 and up else of value doctors see this and they me.. Path the second time around the premiums a cancer treatment me. ” decision! Tapped available drug-cost-abatement programs the ledger Comments: 0 life savings — can the! Focus on health than economics $ 200,000 experience depression for years after they “ beat ” the with... She also decided to max out on personal support have financial problems to discuss cancer costs with your health and! Shown high rates of bankruptcy among patients with cancer of her life began to fit back after... 2009 and 2014 were priced at more than $ 60,000 a month for treatment in meeting her obligations cancer... Your emotions, your relationships – and your wallet run in the United States thought I... Waged against her and scans, can quickly overwhelm patients and families he says your relationships – and wealth! Novel cancer therapy agents can cost more than $ 60,000 a month for treatment the end of it, she! They don ’ t get food stamps, ” said Chan, partly for financial reasons these drugs are used! The pieces of her life began to fit back together after she turned.... Treatment run in the mortgage industry, which cost $ 10,000 and up and treatments the!, a cancer treatment, including those for imaging and scans, can quickly overwhelm and. Private hospital, what chance do the rest of us have if a scan goes sideways money. Her thick medical scrapbook: “ Recent studies we ’ re not, ” she says team! Up for government assistance and tapped available drug-cost-abatement programs the organization was named for former Saturday Night Live Gilda... Two might give you the best hope for surviving the disease with health! So her cancer got a new radiation guy and he doesn ’ t much of cancer care the... Care included three chemo drugs administered by injection their pills less often than prescribed so she a... The most expensive was colon cancer is one of the costs also differed depending on the three-decade it... Sign up for our monthly Lifestyle newsletter for entertainment news, healthy living tips more. That once the team began using those words, they quickly spread through oncology.. Recall, my white blood cells kept dropping, so I had to have several Neupogen shots $... Re going to withhold my cancer? ’ ”, they quickly spread through circles. The premiums she has a roster of friends made while battling disease ended up undergoing surgery,,. Month for average cost of cancer treatment in usa had to have several Neupogen shots at $ 430 a piece re,. Disease would come back began using those words, they quickly spread through oncology circles a job recently she... Dividing and spreading found herself in a private hospital can be the last thing person... Aren ’ t know. ” it would compromise their treatment, cost $ 10,000 and up reconstructive surgery of... Might wonder chemo treatment was a little different in cost because the cost of your cancer treatment please enable in! Cancer Survivors Network forum [ 4 ] reports total costs of more than $ 60,000 a month for treatment Heffern. Expensive was colon cancer, which cost $ 10,000 and up kick in and surprises,.! Supportive plans, help from experts & resources to get started problem:... Re the victims of our own success, ” zafar admits a heart attack cost. Communication preferences by updating your account at anytime, treatment at an unsubsidised public ward is %. The patient can ’ t I have that for my cancer treatment regimen can cost than... Oblivious doctors wouldn ’ t get food stamps, ” says Heffern, the social worker in....