United States: According to a new survey, over half of working-age persons diagnosed with cancer believe it has a significant impact on their ability to make ends meet. As mentioned in the report supported by Ernie Mundell this is happening among the adults and the stats are likewise shocking as six out of ten working age people hit with the cancer diagnosis and it really does make a financial pressure on them for their survival.
“Today’s findings reiterate the critical role access to affordable, quality care and paid family medical leave plays in reducing the financial toll of cancer on those diagnosed- particularly while they are of working age,” Lisa Lacasse, currently the president of the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network said in a cancer society news release.
Experts Analysis
Group of experts led by Dr. Robin Yabroff concluded the data related to number of employment which have access to health insurance also the socioeconomic status and experience with receiving health care, then the investigators then used all the data to create a “composite patient case” that highlighted the monetary effects of dealing with the new cancer diagnosis.
“A majority of cancer patients and survivors [74%] report being forced to miss work due to their illness, most of whom report missing more than four weeks of work, according to an ACS CAN study,” Lacasse noted.
Financial Troubles Persist
Approximately 60% of cancer survivors who are still working reported having experienced some sort of financial trouble, including worry, unpaid medical bills, and postponing or forgoing necessary care due to cost.
Yabroff, scientific vice president of health services research at the American Cancer Society, said that these people are most definitely not alone.
Mostly the survivors of cancer belongs from the working class and don’t qualify the eligibility for the medical coverage and also understanding the potential effects of cancer diagnosis and treatment on employment and also have access to employer-based health insurance coverage is essential explained by Lacasse.
Challenges of Workplace Insurance
As states by ACS that the lack said that the lack of good health insurance tends to high deductibles and co-pays even when workplace insurance is available and a lack of sick leaves also are unpaid sick leave from the employers are all contributing to these issues.
Employer Responsibility
“No one should be forced to choose between their treatment and their employment,” Lacasse stated. “To truly protect patients from the high costs of cancer, Congress needs to make permanent the enhanced Marketplace subsidies that allow millions of people who would not otherwise have access to affordable coverage to enroll in Marketplace plans. Congress also needs to enact paid family and medical leave as well as provide real options for affordable health coverage outside of employer-sponsored plans.”
According to the experts, employers also have a responsibility to provide workers with high-quality health insurance plans and sufficient paid and unpaid sick leave.