Cancer Will No Longer Be a Financial Death Blow to Many Patients

James B. Yu, MD

For oncologists, the impact of the Supreme Court's decision on the Affordable Care Act will likely mean that their patients will no longer be in danger of losing insurance or being denied insurance because of cancer. The number of uninsured patients will be reduced dramatically.

I am hopeful that this will mean that cancer will no longer be a financial death blow to many patients, and that patients will not have to choose between paying the mortgage and paying for increasingly expensive chemotherapies and radiation treatments. As someone who researches comparative and cost effectiveness, I think any reexamination of cost-benefit for patients and emphasis on evidence-based practice is welcome.

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