How Affordable Health Insurance Could Save Millions of LivesDecember 2007
This week's report from the American Cancer Society finds that 12 million new cases of malignancy were diagnosed worldwide in 2007, with 7.6 million people dying from the disease. And as certain cancers and cancer treatment are linked to developed countries like the U.S., once again the public must ask, how would more
affordable health insurance impact this disease?
According to the article at
MSN Health, "the number of cancers and cancer deaths around the world is on the rise," and "the best way to stem the increasing number of cancer cases and deaths is prevention." Here in the United States prevention translates to medical coverage, since expensive cancer treatment can cost thousands of dollars per month, and can last a year or more.
In developed countries cancers like the United States, the most common cancers among men are prostate, lung and colorectal cancer. Among women, the most common cancers are breast, colorectal and lung cancer, according to the report. While a great many of these diagnoses have been linked to lifestyle decisions - such as obesity, smoking, and lack of exercise - those who have good medical coverage are more likely to find their cancer early, and are therefore more likely to survive.
And without affordable health insurance for everyone, that leaves the deck stacked in favor of those who have more money.
This is because valuable face-to-face time with doctors and nurse practitioners allows patients to have routine tests, alongside getting the kind of lifestyle advice that people need to prevent diseases like cancer.
Facts on:
Medical Coverage and Cancer Treatment
Did you know...
12 million new cases of cancer were diagnosed worldwide in 2007, with 7.6 million people dying from the disease?
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Does this mean that more affordable health insurance could lead to less cancer, and perhaps cheaper cancer treatment? There are many who say yes.
But until some major changes are made to our
medical coverage system, consumers should do their best to stay healthy, avoid dangerous lifestyle decisions, and shop around aggressively for more affordable health insurance plans that include those important yearly checkups.
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