Studies Find Race Tied to Medical Health Insurance and Cancer TreatmentOctober 2007
Recently released studies regarding race and cancer treatment have found that the type of health insurance coverage you have might save your life, or could at least minimize your odds of having major surgery.
The study, which was led by Dr. Mousumi Banerjee of the University of Michigan School of Public Health, found that among women whose cancer had spread or become regional in nature, white women were almost 5 times more likely than African American women to take tamoxifen, a widely-used cancer therapy medication, and more than 3 times more likely to have chemotherapy.
How is medical health insurance a part of the equation? Women with early stage breast cancer who were covered by government health insurance were less likely to have combination breast conserving cancer surgery and radiation, and more likely to have mastectomy without radiation than patients enrolled in non-governmental plans, or private plans.
So, those who can afford private health insurance coverage are more likely to receive more comprehensive cancer treatment early on, and were less likely to have a mastectomy performed.
And while some aspects of the study suggest that there could be cultural factors involved in the discrepancy, it's clear that socio-economic factors, particularly a lack of medical health insurance, is the main contributor
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Cancer Treatment
Did you know...
White women were almost 5 times more likely than African American women to take tamoxifen?
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This is why it's so important to find health insurance coverage that specifically covers women's health issues. With today's cafeteria style programs, and access to insurance agencies via Internet, it's easier to design your own medical health insurance plan that's both affordable and covers your particular needs.
It's also a good idea to go for yearly checkups, since regular visits to the doctor have been proven to minimize, or stop, the spread of diseases like cancer.
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