Essay On Financial Challenges Of Cancer

Financial Challenges of Cancer Cancer is a growing problem in the United States. It is a more expensive illness than what people think. Many people who are diagnosed with Cancer, not only have health problems but face financial problems as well. Cancer brings medical bills, copays, prescriptions, surgeries, follow up appointments, etc. Volunteering at the Cancer Treatment Center in Tulsa gives one a slight idea on how many people are affected by this cruel disease. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “Each year, approximately 1.6 million persons in the United States receive a cancer diagnosis” (www.cdc.gov/features/cancerstatistics). This disease takes a toll on a person, and that person’s family and friends. It brings bad days, all sorts of different

Costs that comes with it continue to escalate with time, which can only make it harder on patients who have to face this. Volunteering at the Cancer Treatment Center of America in Tulsa lets you see a little bit of how much people have to spend. They have to pay for procedures, surgeries, copays, and a lot of people who come to the Cancer Treatment Center typically stay in the hotel which is an additional charge to worry about. They can stay anywhere for a day, week, month, or however long it takes for them to get the treatment they need. “In one study, adult cancer patients filed for bankruptcy 2.65 times more frequently than aged matched peers without cancer (Cancer Medicine). People who are facing this disease face financial problems because it brings a lot of appointments and consumes a lot of a person’s time, meaning they have to take off from work or face unemployment. Cancer drains a person mentally, physically, and financially. Many Cancer patients may spend all of their money on treatments that they need. Financial problems lead to other problems for Cancer patients to