Results of UK study on how cancer impacts on patients’ finances
Macmillan Cancer Support have commissioned research from the University of Bristol to look into the financial costs of cancer and have discovered some shocking results – results which will come as no surprise to those patients struggling with the financial impact of a cancer diagnosis.
Four in five cancer patients are hit with a monthly average cost of £570 (€666; 870 USD) as a result of their illness (this is a combined cost of loss of earnings and the increased costs of cancer -e.g. extra heating, travel to hospital). Even more shocking, the survey showed that one in three patients are actually losing on average £860 a month in earnings because of not being able to work or having to cut down on working hours.
The new research shows that the financial burden of cancer is not the same for everyone. Those in work, and those with children are more likely to bear the costs of their illness and the average monthly total is twice as high as for those who are not in work or who do not have any children. Unfairly, the impact for those on low incomes is twice the size of those on the highest incomes. Similarly those with a rarer cancer are hit with a bill (£890 a month) twice the size as that of someone with colorectal or prostate cancer.
This new research shows that cancer comes with a whopping price tag for many patients. Combined with the current recession and with welfare cuts, the cost of the disease is hitting the most vulnerable hardest. With the number of people living with cancer in the UK doubling from two to four million by 2030, this is a growing problem which cannot be ignored. Cancer costs the equivalent of a second mortgage. We must act now to protect the financially vulnerable from having to foot the bill for their illness ~ Ciarán Devane, Chief Executive of Macmillan Cancer Support.
Macmillan believes no-one should face financial worries alone and is calling on governments, businesses and the NHS to act urgently to ensure the right support is offered at the right time to ease the terrible financial strain on people living with cancer.
Did you find that a cancer diagnosis impacted your finances in a significant way? Have you any helpful resources or advice to share with readers in the same situation?
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It is hitting me hard.. I’ve still got a year of Herceptin .. I mentioned to my MP Stephen Pound that there should be free oyster passes for those going through cancer treatment.. but that was met with silence.. Years ago if you were receiving income support/Job seekers allowance you could claim travel costs back on a hospital appointments.. not sure if this still applies in the UK.. But if you are working you are slammed.. if your a housewife which is what I am right the moment.. you are slammed.. I’m entitled to zero help except the Macmillan grant..
My advice to anyone in the UK.. if you have a Maggie center near you go.. You can book an appointment with a solicitor and they can advise you on your entitlements.. don’t be too proud about asking for help..
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Amazing that cancer costs in the UK are hitting those most vulnerable and also with rare cancers. In the United States cancer costs are terribly expensive. The cost of my insurance alone is almost $1200.00 a month or $12,000.00 a year. Then I have a $2000 deductible for treatment (meaning I pay the first $2000.00 of costs and then when I go to a participating Doctor I have a 30% co-pay, non-participating Doctor I pay 70% co-pay) Then I have a $300 deductible on medications before I pay $45.00 co-pay if the drug is not generic and $15.00 co-pay if it is generic. Then if a drug is not covered and I must have it costs can be unbelievable. These co-pays add up on top of the premiums.
Those that don’t have insurance get charged five times the amount allowed by the insurance and with things changing in 2014 where everyone will have to carry insurance you can see before cancer just the insurance alone costs a lot of money. Some employers pay the premiums but that is what is making it very difficult for companies to carry the cost of the insurance and the patient that gets cancer has to pay a lot out of pocket. One of my friends who was metastatic and needed a life saving drug with insurance had to pay $1700 a month for a medication.
When I did chemotherapy and radiation that year alone I had about $40,000 in medical costs. When I needed surgeries for breast cancer especially my recurrence and mastectomies my yearly costs were also about $40,000 for my medical. Cancer costs a fortune in America. At a recent ASCO meeting the speakers talked about how Americans are headed for their medical costs being 1/2 of our salaries at the rate we are going.
They have done studies on cancer in the US and one of the biggest causes of stress for cancer are the expenses. Cancer costs a lot of money. On top of that with chemobrain, just trying to read and understand a medical bill is impossible. For example the day of my biopsy I had over 10 different bills with different Doctors names on them. Included were the pathologist, the people that did the biopsy, the facility charged, the radiologist and each bill did not say what department the doctor was from. I was so confused that I never had another procedure done at that hospital ever again, because I refused to have to try to understand their billing practices. I wrote them a letter and had it copied to the ten departments asking for help with the bill. No one answered me. Just writing the letter and analyzing the problem plus the ten copies took hours.
The cost of having cancer in different countries is a very important topic.Thank you for writing about this Marie.
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Wow, Susan. You just made my jaw drop open. How can people heal with all that stress? ~ Catherine
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Thank you for addressing this critically important topic, Marie. Those in the U.S. who are not yet of Social Security age can apply for social security disability benefits based on their inability to work due to disease. Visit http://www.ssa.gov/disability. I believe they would also get on Medicare earlier. But it is tough to get into this program; you must really be persistent and obtain letters from doctors showing inability to work. The American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org) and hospital social workers can also provide resources for those in financial need. No one should have to suffer the further indignities of insufficient finances on top of the physical and emotional challenges posed by the illness.
My insurance is much the same as Susan’s, and I know many people who couldn’t even afford those premiums, let alone deductibles and copays. Right now I am in a clinical study so the U.S. government (National Cancer Institute) and drug company foot the bill for the drugs. But I still have to pay for scans and blood draws and nursing while being infused.
I hope this issue gets resolved soon. xo
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I had lost significant hours at work just a month before diagnosis, so I was too ill to look for other work. I did manage to get a temporary ghostwriting/editing job I could do at home along with the part-time hours I had at the office, that stalled the loss of my home, which ultimately happened as well as the relationship hardships I’ve written about. It was a hellish few years, but I did find some help with some of the medical costs.
In the USA, there’s an organization called CancerCare at http://www.cancercare.org. You need a referral from your doctor, some forms to sign, but I got a grant through them from the Susan G. Komen Foundation. They paid all my chemo co-pays at $50 each, and 100% of my prescriptions, including my lymphedema sleeve. The bigger help was I learned how to get my medical costs lowered by calling the various medical entities and asking. Some just require a “letter of hardship.” Others have a form you have to fill out along with a letter explaining your situation and finances. Some lowered their costs by only 10% while others forgave my bill completely. In California, I believe there are laws in place where medical establishments are required to work with you and lessen your bills if you meet certain criterion.
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Yep, theses results are not a huge shocker. The only reason my husband and I didn’t lose all our savings with the extra costs during treatment was due to the incredible company I worked for and their flexibility in hours. ~Catherine
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Thanks for highlighting this issue which is causing a lot of added stress to many patients – including myself 😦
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