Let’s create a future without cancer!
DID YOU KNOW that more than one-third of all cancers can be prevented? Another third of all cancers can be cured if detected early and treated. Today we know more about cancer than ever before. There have been significant breakthroughs in diagnosing and treating cancer. And yet millions of people are still dying from it!
One of the biggest barriers to cancer care is the equity gap. This means that education, income, geographical location, and discrimination affects the ease of obtaining cancer care for those who need it. A very serious issue that we see repeatedly is the patient’s health insurance company dictating when, where, and if they can receive the recommended treatment for their specific type of cancer.
Here in the United States, we are all required to have health insurance. However, if it is not offered through one’s employer, the cost of adequate insurance coverage is outrageous! Most working-class people do not qualify for Medicaid due to income requirements and, therefore, often fall through the cracks. Some patients that we see do have health insurance but cannot afford the copays and deductibles that are required by these companies. It is becoming more and more frequent that the insurance companies are denying necessary scans for diagnostic purposes, denying certain treatment options, and even denying coverage for the medications to assist with the side effects of treatment.
Unfortunately, this equity gap goes way beyond us. One of the things that we can do, however, is to educate ourselves on ways to navigate the system to help patients obtain the tests, medications, and treatment options that they need in order to live a life beyond cancer. If you are a cancer patient in this situation, please reach out to us and see how we can help.
Jean Schoen is the founder and president of Cancer Connection of Northwest Ohio, Inc. (419-725-1100).
