How Cancer Treatment is Affected by Medical CoverageJune, 2007
According to a new study released at
Science Daily, the quality of your cancer treatment may depend upon whether or not you can afford
private health insurance, revealing once again that medical coverage is about more than paying for emergency treatments.
The studies, from July issue of
Cancer, "a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, find availability and type of health insurance predict disease severity in patients presenting with cancer of the oral cavity and breast in the United States."
The shorthand version of the study? If you have private health insurance you're much more likely to be diagnosed with cancer before it advances, and to receive the kind of cancer treatment that can save your life. It's a scary prognosis that makes sense: those with medical coverage are more likely to get checkups and have access to medical advice. This means they get important face time with doctors who can correct dangerous lifestyle behaviors, and screen for illnesses of all kinds.
In contrast, those who don't have medical coverage don't go to the doctor until something is seriously wrong. By this time any disease, including cancer, is likely to have advanced into a dangerous stage.
There are more than 46 million Americans who can't afford private health insurance, and even more who are underinsured and don't have access to the kind of health care they need. Even worse, patients who have public medical coverage, particularly Medicaid for low-income families, were also at higher risk for advanced disease and low-quality cancer treatment.
Facts on:
Private Health Insurance
Did you know...
The quality of your cancer treatment may depend upon whether or not you can afford private health insurance?
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This marks the first assessment of the association between insurance status and cancer, but chances are it won't be the last.
It's for reasons like these that everybody should aggressively shop around for
medical coverage that covers preventative treatments for things like cancer, diabetes, and other life-threatening diseases.
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