High Costs Lead to Delays in Care for Low-Income Women

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High Out-of-Pocket Costs Lead to Delays in Breast Cancer Care for Low-Income Women
March 19, 2019
Women with lower incomes enrolled in health insurance plans with high deductibles are more likely to delay breast cancer care, including diagnostic mammograms, biopsies, and chemotherapy, according to a study. Read more...

MelissaDallas

It isn't just low-income. Middle income too - I can easily have between 20K-30K out of pocket per year with my high-deductible plan. You have to make a pretty high salary for that to be doable.

Salamandra

The article does say, "High-income women enrolled in high-deductible insurance plans also had delays in all the same areas of breast cancer care, though the delays were slightly shorter."

Also it defined a high deductible plan as a deductible of $1,000 or higher. Which, isn't low, but isn't nearly as high as it gets. In NYC the lowest tiered bronze plans have a deductible of $6,350 and OOP max of something like $12,000. (There are cheaper silver plans for those who qualify for the subsidy).

Also, I notice that neither BCO article nor the abstract freely available defined high versus low income.

MelissaDallas

Almost $9,000 annual premium, $8,500 deductible, 30% copay up to another $20,000.

blah333

That's insane.... I live below the poverty line and my life is fairly terrible because of that but I paid $0. This country has got to change.

edwards750

Ditto for me Melissa. We are a middle class income household and have insurance with BC/BS with a $5k deductible. Fortunately by the time I had to have to have 33 radiation treatments we were at 100%. Idk what we would have done if we had had to pay for those treatments. We buzz sawed through our flex plan money too. Throw in meds and oncology visits and every month yet another bill of some kind and we were juggling money right and left and we had a good household income.

The medical bills that come with this disease are astronomical. It’s bad enough we have BC now we have to deal with the financial worries.

I wish these cheerleaders of BC would focus more on the financial strain many ladies go through with this disease. Wiping out savings and retirement funds just to keep going or stay alive for that matter isn’t discussed nearly enough.

Diane

blah333

Bernie Sanders discusses it all the time though!

melza89

I just got dxed and am stressed out about out-of-pocket costs. We've never had to deal with catastrophic medical expenses. Our insurance has a fortunately low deductible but high out-of-pocket maximum. We already have a lot of big monthly bills, mainly rent, loan payments, and daycare for 2 kids. I have to keep working while I am able just so we can have some kind of savings (not a lot) & afford any child care which we'll probably need when I'm too tired/sick from BC/treatment. Ugh.

rainnyc

In New York, if one is buying ACA plans, the platinum plans, with no deductible, are actually more affordable if one is in treatment for an expensive disease, like cancer. The premium rates are usurious, but the out of pocket maximum is far lower than with the lower-tiered plans. If you look at the annual costs, as I do every year before picking a plan, knowing that I'll have various scans, etc., I'll spend less by choosing the high-premium plan, even though the premium total is an insane amount of money.

But then those same plans put ridiculous obstacles in the way of getting routine treatment.

Shelley73

I have bcbs ACA and it is affordable as far as deductible and yearly out of pocket maximum but I can find no doctors or hospitals that take the insurance. Affordable Care insurance is a joke if no doctors or facilities are covered it has delayed my surgery for a few month s now. I still have to wait another month for an mri before surgery because no facility takes this crappy insurance. I feel my level care isn't going be less due to the fact no one wants accept this's . Sorry just felt needed to vent here, I wouldn’t suggestanyone get this insurance regardless if you choose platinum,gold or bronze 50% of doc, hospital etc refuse obamaca

rainnyc

Shelley, it's a huge issue. In New York, there are no ACA plans in network with Sloan Kettering, and the state's ACA plans do not pay anything on out of network care. Is this true for other NCCN centers--do places like Dana Farber, Anderson, Mayo and so forth take ACA plans in network?

MelissaDallas

Hardly anyplace in Dallas accepts the ACA plans, except the public hospital and their clinics. If you have to go there you might as well quit your job, because you wait in every clinic for hours to be seen for your appointment.

Shelley73

I am not sure if those places take the insurance or not I know cancer treatments centers of America do not , I tried there last week. I am really reeling about this because the small town hospital in the town I live in is covered but are not, in my opinion, equipped for surgery. They cannot even keep my records right. The insurance company will just have to approve the hospital the surgeon uses or I am going to the insurance commission to try get something done. Hopefully, it will help

lovepugs77

I think it really depends on where you live. I have ACA coverage with BCBS, and have had no problem finding good doctors who take it.