EVEN FOR PEOPLE WITH INSURANCE, cancer care can be costly. Among 1,284 cancer patients and survivors who responded to an American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network online survey in spring 2024, 47% had experienced cancer-related medical debt.

An additional 13% expected to go into debt in the future. The respondents had been diagnosed or treated for cancer within the past seven years, and just 2% were uninsured when they incurred debt.

Many survivors who reported having cancer-related debt had skipped or delayed medical care, missed cancer screenings, gone without sufficient food, or had mental health issues due to their debt. Additionally, 97% of those currently in debt said they feared they would be unable to pay for their health care. Many saw their credit scores drop and had difficulty qualifying for loans. The survey also revealed disparities. For example, 13% of Black respondents reported being refused treatment because of their inability to pay past bills compared with 7% of white patients.

Many who filled out the survey supported policy changes aimed at preventing medical debt and helping those already dealing with it. Potential solutions included ensuring people can access drug discount and financial assistance programs, increasing the use of patient navigators to help guide patients to these programs, prohibiting predatory debt collection practices, and removing medical debt from credit scores.

Source: American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

Thomas Celona is an editor at Cancer Today.