Investigators may have uncovered the financial burden of different medical services on cancer survivors, according to a recent study published by Jafri et al in JAMA Network Open.
Background
Although the economic challenges faced by patients with cancer as a result of health-care costs are well documented, a majority of prior research has focused on high drug costs.
Study Methods and Results
In the study, the investigators examined the patterns of use and costs of different medical services—including outpatient care, inpatient care, prescription drugs, and physical therapy—among U.S. cancer survivors, underscoring the prevalence of equipment use and the out-of-pocket expenses associated with it.
Among all of the medical services, the investigators found that medical equipment such as wheelchairs, canes, hearing aids, and oxygen equipment resulted in the highest percentage of out-of-pocket costs. The absolute number of cancer survivors using medical equipment increased 2.5-fold between 1999 and 2018, with the prevalence of medical equipment use rising from 6.6% to 8.6%. Additionally, the out-of-pocket cost-sharing responsibility for medical equipment (39%) was the highest among medical services, exceeding that for prescription drugs (9%), outpatient care (4%), and hospitalizations (1%).
The investigators indicated that the financial strain associated with medical equipment presents cancer survivors with a barrier in which accessing affordable medical equipment becomes challenging because of limited insurance coverage and administrative burdens.
Conclusions
The investigators emphasized that streamlining payer coverage and authorization processes, reducing cost-sharing responsibility, and addressing affordability may be key policy priorities to ensure equitable access to essential medical equipment.
“As the number of cancer survivors continues to rise, so do their unmet needs for medical equipment. This research highlights critical gaps in access and affordability, which must be addressed to improve cancer survivorship care,” concluded senior study author Arjun Gupta, MD, MBBS, Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School, a gastrointestinal oncologist at M Health Fairview, and a member of the Masonic Cancer Center in Minneapolis.
Disclosure: This research in this study was funded by the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. For full disclosures of the study authors, visit jamanetwork.com.
