Faced with financial burden, younger cancer survivors are more likely to skimp on Rx drugs

A passing line in my recent post on cancer drug pricing made reference to the financial burden faced by American cancer patients: an American Cancer Society publication posted online today indicates that the burden among “non-elderly” cancer survivors (those under 65 years old) is sufficient to make this group more likely to delay, skip or even forgo medication than those without a history of cancer.

Zeng and colleagues examined National Health Interview Survey data from 9,000 individuals with, and 93,000 individuals without, a history of cancer. They found 31.6% of respondents recently diagnosed with cancer and 27.9% of those with a past  cancer diagnosis had made some change in prescription drug use for  financial reasons, compared with 21.4% of respondents  without a cancer history. Cancer survivors in health plans with lower premiums but with a higher threshold before costs are met (“high deductible” plans) were more likely to request lower cost medications than those without a cancer history (32% vs. 22.5%, respectively).

A shift away from hospital or community-administered infused cancer drugs towards self-administered oral medications, along with changes in health plan structure have increased the out-of-pocket burden, with those under 65 (and not enrolled in Medicare) being hardest hit.

The authors did look at the impact of cost-imposed changes in medication on quality of life but conclude by proposing that prescribers should consider the consequences of  financial burden and shape their treatment decisions accordingly.

---

People with Cancer History More Likely to Change Prescriptions to Save Money. American Cancer Society press release online February 20^th 2017. http://tinyurl.com/hkk7xcb

Do cancer survivors change their prescription drug use for financial reasons? Findings from a nationally representative sample in the United States.Zeng Z et al. Cancer. doi:10.1002/cncr.30560. Published online February 20^th 2017. http://tinyurl.com/jjtabyu (Subscription required for full text).

For a perspective on what changes in the Affordable Care Act might mean for American cancer patients, read Julia Belluz's Voxmedia piece "Cancer can bankrupt its victims. Obamacare was designed to stop that".Online 23rd February 2017.

 http://tinyurl.com/gtqlhdt