How Will Healthcare Costs Respond?
A scientific breakthrough in cancer research offers new hope for those who will be afflicted with the disease in the future...but only if they can afford it. As healthcare costs rise,
health insurance premiums go up, making these costly procedures and treatments difficult for the average American to afford.
This good news is that about 100 new genes have been linked to cancer, a lot more than had been previously thought, opening up the potential for more success with prescription drugs. But prescription drugs are costly, and health insurance premiums won't be getting cheaper any time soon. Cancer costs America around $190 billion dollars a year, making it as expensive as it is deadly. And worse yet, cancer is also on the rise, because people are living longer and with bad habits. The World Health Organization estimates there will be a 50 percent rise in the number of new cancer cases by 2020.
Sadly, Medicare and Medicaid arent much of an answer, either. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reports that Medicaid-insured patients with breast, colorectal, or lung cancer have lower survival rates than non-Medicaid-insured patients with the same types of cancer. It is simply a matter of quality of care. Cancer treatment is very expensive, but if a patient can't afford health insurance premiums, then how can they afford the prescription drugs and treatments that could save their life?
Many health insurance agencies are responding by pushing cancer prevention, including the education of patients who come in for checkups.
Facts on:
Cancer Research
Did you know...
The World Health Organization estimates there will be a 50 percent rise in the number of new cancer cases by 2020?
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But once again, you'd better have good health insurance to enjoy this kind of benefit.
Cancer is a deadly disease that kills millions of people a year. While breakthroughs in cancer research and in healthcare options are wonderful news, it will be even better when everyone can afford those treatments when they need them.
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