Financial Navigators Offering Cancer Patients ‘Life Rafts’ In Dealing With Cost Of Treatment
Across the country, oncology social workers are helping those diagnosed with cancer to navigate one of the terrifying side effects of treatment: financial toxicity. “He keeps throwing me life rafts before I sink,” Scott Steiner says of his social worker, Dan Sherman.
The Washington Post:
Tackling The Financial Toll Of Cancer, One Patient At A Time
Even before Scott Steiner started treatment for a rare gastrointestinal cancer that had spread throughout his abdomen, a dangerous side effect threatened his health. His doctor had prescribed the cancer drug Gleevec, but Steiner’s insurance refused to cover its $3,500 monthly cost. Steiner, a warehouse manager for a publisher of Bible-themed literature, and his wife, Brenda, a part-time nurse, made just $30,000 a year. No way could they afford the drug on their own. It was a scary brush with “financial toxicity,” as researchers call the mix of economic stress, anxiety and depression cancer patients often endure. (McGinley, 4/9)
The Washington Post:
The Burden Of Cancer Isn’t Just Cancer
Money is low on the list of things most people want to think about after a doctor says the scary word "cancer." And it's not just patients — physicians also want to weigh the best treatment options to rout the cancer, unburdened by financial nitty gritty. But a growing body of evidence suggests that, far from crass, ignoring cost could be harmful to patients' health. (Johnson, 4/8)
