Survey Reports COVID-19 is Affecting Patients’ Access to Cancer Care

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ACS CAN Says Delays and Financial Strain Dominate Cancer Patients’ Experience in Pandemic

Press Release

Cancer patients and those who’ve recently completed treatment are finding it challenging to get necessary health care during the COVID-19 pandemic and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) says many are experiencing financial stress trying to afford care in an increasingly difficult economic environment.

According to the latest survey from Survivor Views, a national cohort of cancer patients and survivors who complete surveys on a range of public policy issues important to the cancer community, half (51%) of all those surveyed reported some impact on their care due to the virus. Of those who’ve experienced an effect, nearly one in four report a delay in care or treatment. The most common delays were for in-person provider appointments (50%).

Among just the respondents who remain in active treatment, more than a quarter (27%) report a delay in their care, and 13% say they don’t know when it will be rescheduled.

Nearly four in 10 (38%) in the respondents Survivor Views survey say COVID-19 is having a notable effect on their ability to afford their care, due mostly to reduced work hours (14%).

While the economic stress is prevalent across all respondents, the concern is especially pronounced among patients with lower- and middle-class incomes. Nearly half of those earning $30,000 or less say they’re worried about affording their care (46%); more than a third (34%) of those earning up to $60,000 are worried and a quarter (25%) of those earning up to $110,000 are concerned.

“The health impacts of this COVID-19 pandemic are going well beyond those who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and are impacting cancer patients in their ability to get timely treatment. The Survivor Views Survey results show the need to quickly bolster our healthcare system so that we cannot only care for those who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 but can also provide timely and potentially life-saving treatment to cancer patients who need it,” said ACS CAN Utah Government Relations Director Brook Carlisle.

Patient groups, including ACS CAN, are asking Congress and the administration to take action on policy changes that would help patients. Those changes include creating a special enrollment period so uninsured or underinsured Americans can enroll in comprehensive health plans established under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), increased funding for state Medicaid programs and subsidies to help people who lose their employer-sponsored health care afford their health insurance premiums for up to six months.

The American Cancer Society has created a resource for cancer patients and survivors at cancer.org: Coronavirus, COVID-19 and Cancer Hub. ACS is also available 24-hours a day, seven days a week through our National Cancer Information Center and cancer hotline at 800-227-2345.

The Survivor Views survey was conducted using a web-based instrument sent to 3,055 Survivor Views cohort members and promoted to non-panelist respondents through email and social media promotion. The survey was taken by more than 1,200 cancer patients and survivors between March 25 and April 8 and has a margin of error +/- 3% and 96% confidence level. For more on the results, please visit https://bit.ly/2V9TavE

About the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is making cancer a top priority for public officials and candidates at the federal, state and local levels. ACS CAN empowers advocates across the country to make their voices heard and influence evidence-based public policy change as well as legislative and regulatory solutions that will reduce the cancer burden. As the American Cancer Society’s nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate, ACS CAN is critical to the fight for a world without cancer. For more information, go to fightcancer.org.

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