Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2010 Jul 15;116(14):3493-504.
doi: 10.1002/cncr.25209.

Forgoing medical care because of cost: assessing disparities in healthcare access among cancer survivors living in the United States

Kathryn E Weaver  1 , Julia H Rowland, Keith M Bellizzi, Noreen M Aziz
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Forgoing medical care because of cost: assessing disparities in healthcare access among cancer survivors living in the United States

Kathryn E Weaver et al. Cancer. .

Abstract

Background: Many US cancer survivors live years after diagnosis, which emphasizes the importance of healthcare access for survivors. It is not known whether having cancer has an impact on disparities in healthcare access that are present in the general population. The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence of forgoing care because of financial concerns in a representative sample of US adults to determine whether cancer history and race/ethnicity are associated with the likelihood of forgoing medical care.

Methods: Data from the US National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) from 2003 to 2006 were used to identify 6602 adult cancer survivors and 104,364 individuals who had no history of cancer. Self-reports of forgoing medical care services because of cost were analyzed according to cancer history and race/ethnicity using multivariate logistic regression.

Results: The prevalence of forgoing care because of cost among cancer survivors was 7.8% for medical care, 9.9% for prescription medications, 11.3% for dental care, and 2.7% for mental healthcare. Cancer survivors aged<65 years were more likely to delay or forego all types of medical care compared with adults who did not have a history of cancer. Hispanic and black cancer survivors were more likely to forego prescription medications and dental care than white survivors. Disparities among cancer survivors largely were reflective of those in the general adult population.

Conclusions: More than 2 million US cancer survivors did not get 1 or more needed medical services because of financial concerns during the studied period. Future research needs to examine the impact of forgoing care on survivors' quality of life and survival.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The prevalence of forgoing or delaying medical care due to cost for cancer survivors, by race/ethnicity.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Horner MJRLK. SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975–2006. National Cancer Institute; 2009.
    1. Hewitt ME, National Cancer Policy Board (U.S.), Committee on Cancer Survivorship: Improving Care and Quality of Life. From cancer patient to cancer survivor: lost in transition. Washington, D.C: National Academies Press; 2006.
    1. Hewitt M, Rowland JH, Yancik R. Cancer survivors in the United States: age, health, and disability. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2003;58:82–91. - PubMed
    1. Arozullah AM, Calhoun EA, Wolf M, et al. The financial burden of cancer: estimates from a study of insured women with breast cancer. J Support Oncol. 2004;2:271–278. - PubMed
    1. Langa KM, Fendrick AM, Chernew ME, Kabeto MU, Paisley KL, Hayman JA. Out-of-pocket health-care expenditures among older Americans with cancer. Value Health. 2004;7:186–194. - PubMed

Publication types