Although not statistically proven, the Canadian Cancer Society and Canadian Cancer Action Network outline multiple risk factors which can contribute to the risk of financial hardship due to cancer in their case study Key Informant Interviews: A View from the Front Lines. The study offers a qualitative analysis conveying the hardships and frustrations that clinicians, families and individuals feel when they deal with a cancer diagnosis and the financial circumstances which follow the diagnosis. The perceptions below are supported by the literature review.
Financial Burdens of Cancer
An individual’s financial Although not statistically proven, the Canadian Cancer Society and Canadian Cancer Action Network outline multiple risk factors which can contribute to the risk of financial hardship due to cancer in their case study Key Informant Interviews: A View from the Front Lines. The study offers a qualitative analysis conveying the hardships and frustrations that clinicians, families and individuals feel when they deal with a cancer diagnosis and the financial circumstances which follow the diagnosis. The perceptions below are supported by the literature review.
Those who may lose more income and experience higher out-of-the-pocket costs include:
- Young adults
- Parents with young children
- Rural residents
An individual’s financial risk may also be affected by:
- Age
- Gender
- Occupation
- Employment status
- Access to benefits
- Treatment modality
- Type of cancer
Also at higher risk are those who are:
- Socially isolated
- Suffering from mental illness or addictions
- Single parents
- Struggling with English as a second language
Key Challenges of Financial Stability
The study finds financial hardship can be devastating when medical worries are compounded by:
- Loss of income for both the person with cancer and the primary caregiver
- The cost of:
- Transportation and accommodation
- Chemotherapeutics and supportive medication
- Medical equipment and supplies
Systematic Factors
- Public programs for income replacement are not help pace with the realities of patients living with cancer today
- Drug and medical supply coverage programs could be improved by eliminating inconsistencies and updating their rules
- Better co-coordination within the health care system
- Northern residents, including First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities, face unique financial challenges when they are diagnosed with cancer.
Three Key Challenges of Financial Stability
- Income stabilization
- Cancer drugs and medical equipment
- Transportation and accommodation
Issues and Solutions Raised by Key Informants
- To address loss of income for both persons with cancer and their caregivers
- To address the high cost of chemotherapeutic and supportive medications
- To address travel, accommodation and parking costs
- To address the availability of home care, hospice and palliative care beds
- To address the lack of awareness of the problem of financial burden for persons with cancer in all jurisdictions
- To better support persons with cancer in addressing their financial burden
- Build partnerships with First Nations, Inuit and Métis organizations in order to support them in engaging the government in the cost challenges specific to these population groups
- To address other issues such as including related donors in the Canadian Blood Services program that provides funds to cover the costs of travel and accommodation for unrelated donors, increasing access to affordable child care across the province, more attentivity to the research in terms of financial burdens of cancer patients and their families, and providing home care services for patients that include supportive care of their children in-home.
To read the entire study, visit the resource below.
Resources
Five-Year Action Plan to Address the Financial hardship of cancer in Cancer: A Call for Action