Cost of Cancer is on the Rise

Portions of the following post were pulled from an article on Scientific American online. 

There's been a new report released by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute that says that the cost of cancer care in our country is not going to be decreasing anytime soon. According to the report, published online January 12th, the financial burden of cancer is expected to rise precipitously in the next 10 years—despite decreasing incidence numbers. 

"Rising health-care costs represent a central challenge for both the federal government and the private sector," wrote the study authors, led by Angela Mariotto of the Surveillance Research Program at the National Cancer Institute. Overall 2009 healthcare costs in the U.S. were about $2.5 trillion, and spending is expected to increase to some $4.6 trillion by 2019. Based on Medicare data and other sources, the new analysis shows that in 2010, cancer care for 16 common types of cancers in U.S. women and 13 common types of cancers in U.S. men tallied up to $124.6 billion.

Those are some BIG numbers. And it's not even taking in ALL cancers... only 16 common types.

As you can imagine, Northwest Arkansas is not immune to the effect of rising costs for cancer care. In 2010 Hope Cancer Resources provided services and financial assistance valued at $687,690.00 to 1,489 cancer patients and their families. These were services that would have been paid for out of people's pockets if we were not here to provide them.

Or not...

One of the main reasons we do what we do is because local oncologists were seeing too many of their patients not showing up for appointments or taking the medications that were prescribed for them. Once the physician creates a treatment plan, that patient has to be able to follow that plan in order for the treatment to be successful. If a patient can't pay for gasoline, or loses their car to repossession, all the treatment plans in the world won't help that patient get to their radiation or chemotherapy appointments.

Similarly, if an individualized cocktail of medications is prescribed to manage symptoms and begin fighting the disease, but a patient is forced to choose to pay for those drugs or pay the mortgage - which do you think they will choose? Cancer treatment doesn't have to last more than a few months - it depends on the type and treatment - but sometimes those few months are all it takes to put a family into financial crisis.

That's what we're here for. We provide temporary support to cancer patients and their families during those crucial few months - or longer if that's what it takes - to help them get out of treatment and into the "recovery" stage. At times, there are continued needs from an emotional standpoint, but the financial crisis that can be crippling is usually over by that time, and patients and families are better able to look forward with hope.

We anticipate a growing number of patients needing our services in 2011. Not only because, as the articles predict, the costs will continue to increase, but also because more people are going to be treated in Northwest Arkansas when a new Highlands Oncology Group clinic opens in Rogers. Expanded patient care means expanded expenses. We would love for you to join us in making cancer treatment a little less stressful for your friends and neighbors... Consider making a gift today - it could change someone's life tomorrow.