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THURSDAY, June 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Higher medical and nonmedical financial hardships are associated with a greater number of emergency department visits and lower receipt of some preventive services among cancer survivors, according to a study published in the July 1 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Zhinyuan Zheng, Ph.D., from the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, and colleagues examined associations between medical and nonmedical financial hardship intensities and health care use and self-rated health among 4,939 cancer survivors aged 18 to 64 years and 6,972 cancer survivors aged \u226565 years.<\/p>\n
The researchers observed more emergency department visits for cancer survivors with higher medical financial hardship intensity (level 4 versus level 1: 42 versus 26.2 percent for those aged 18 to 64 years; 37.6 versus 24.3 percent for those aged \u226565 years) and higher nonmedical financial hardship intensity (level 5 versus level 1: 37.2 versus 27.9 percent for those aged 18 to 64 years). Lower influenza vaccine use was seen for cancer survivors with higher medical financial hardship intensity; they also had lower breast cancer screening levels. There were similar patterns observed between higher financial hardship intensities and worse self-rated health.<\/p>\n
“Given greater patient cost sharing and rapid development of expensive cancer treatments, the experience of medical and nonmedical financial hardship is likely to increase and may exacerbate cancer-related health disparities,” the authors write.<\/p>\n
Two authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.<\/p>\n
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