New Survey: Recession is Hitting Cancer Survivors Hard

Jun 23, 2010
Jon Pike

Lung Cancer Tumor - wikiemda commons

A new survey, from the lobbying arm of the American Cancer Society, says that the recession is leaving cancer survivors in economic predicaments.

The recession is hitting cancer survivors hard. The economic downturn is having an impact not only on most Americans who are struggling to pay the bills, but also for those whom cancer has dramatically increased the cost of medical care. That’s according to a new survey.

The survey, released June 23, 2010, was conducted by Lake Research Partners, a private research firm, for the American Cancer Society’s lobbying arm, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). According to this survey, this problem is hitting those under 65 the hardest, as they do not qualify for Medicare. The survey, drawn from voter registration lists, got just over a thousand responses.

Key Findings of the Survey

Key findings of the survey, according to a summary from Lake Research Partners, include:

Almost half of the families with a cancer survivor surveyed said they have had problems with insurance and medical costs over the past two years.
About a third of those families surveyed said they had trouble paying for necessities and other bills.
Almost a quarter of those families surveyed have been contacted by a collection agency.
About one-in-five have used up most of their savings.
About one-in-six have incurred thousands of dollars in debt.

There are also indications that people are choosing not to get the care they need. The survey said that almost a quarter of those surveyed have put off getting medical care because of the costs. If they do not get treatment, their condition will probably get worse.

According to ASC CAN there may be some policy prescriptions for the problem.

Solutions to The Problem

ACS CAN is backing some propose solutions for this problem. According to American Cancer Society CEO, John Seffrin, Congress needs to implement and fund the Affordable Care Act. Seffrin said that the act:

"...has the potential to effect meaningful reform for cancer patients, survivors and their loved ones by transforming the system to one that focuses on prevention and provides access to the full spectrum of coverage including prevention, evidence-based treatment and patient-centered care.”

ACS CAN is also asking Congress to sustain funding provided last year in the stimulus package for cancer research and treatment. Those provisions include providing the National Institutes of Health with $35.2 billion, including $5.8 billion for the National Cancer Institute.

ACS CAN says that is not only those who already have cancer who need to be helped. The organization says that over a million people could be disagnosed with new cases of cancer this year. Those people may also need help, so they don't have to choose between getting better and paying the bills.