Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius joined five NCAA Division I basketball coaches Tuesday along with Senators Robert Casey (D-PA), Al Franken (D-MN) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), as well as cancer survivors and advocates to rally in support of health insurance reform. During this rally the Secretary released a new report, Fighting Back Against Cancer: Health Insurance Reform and Cancer in America.

"Cancer has touched nearly every American family, and millions of Americans have been forced to battle this disease while wondering how they will pay their medical bills," said Secretary Sebelius said in a press release describing the event. "Today, coaches, advocates and leaders teamed up to fight for reform that will ensure cancer patients can get the affordable, high-quality care they need."

The report outlines four different challenges facing cancer patients. The first problem is high out-of-pocket health care costs. When burdened with the barrier of costs, treatment can be delayed, seriously affecting health. The costs include increasing deductibles, copayments, and other cost-sharing requirements. The report includes survey data finding 22-25 percent of persons with cancer report exhaust savings from the financial costs, and 22 percent report using up all or most of their savings. Five percent of insured cancer patients actually delay or refuse because of cost.
Another problem is cancer diagnosis limiting health insurance choices. Individuals with health conditions such as cancer find higher premiums, exclusion, or denial of coverage for a pre-existing condition. Many cancer patients find difficulty in obtaining insurance coverage due to their illness. Those with insurance may find their policy retroactively canceled, even if the person was not aware of the condition at the time the policy was purchased.

Work-related coverage is also jeopardized, the report says, as fewer employers offer coverage. Cancer also places further burden on the patient through being unable to work, losing one's job, or working fewer hours, which may also lose one's insurance. Although if one loses a job with insurance, the protection may be continued through COBRA but the patient must pay the full premium themselves.

Finally, insurance under-emphasizes cancer prevention and early treatment by not covering tests, the report states. Screenings increase the chance breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers will be identified in early stages, increasing a patient's chances for survival and cutting the projected costs of treatment.

The report recommends caps on out-of-pocket spending and eliminating benefit limits, establishing preventive care for better health and greater and more affordable choices.

Read all the details:

More on Secretary Sebelius' rally can be found at: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2009pres/09/20090922c.html

The Report may be accessed at: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/fightingcancer/index.html

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