WASHINGTON--(Business Wire)--
As Americans mark breast cancer awareness month, Secretary of Health and Human
Services Kathleen Sebelius today released a new report, Health Insurance Reform
and Breast Cancer: Making the Health Care System Work for Women. The
reportdetails how health insurance reform will help women diagnosed with breast
cancer and is available now at www.HealthReform.gov.
"Thousands of women and their families are impacted by breast cancer," Secretary
Sebelius said. "We are fighting for health reform that will help improve
treatment for women with breast cancer and doing all we can to encourage women
to take the simple steps that can help prevent this disease."
The new report highlights the problems in the health care status quo that
significantly impact women who are diagnosed with breast cancer or are breast
cancer survivors. The report notes:
* Breast cancer is the second leading type of cancer among women. The disease
will affect one in eight American women during their lifetime, with treatment
costs totaling $7 Billion in 2007.
* Breast cancer patients with employer-based insurance had total out-of-pocket
costs averaging $6,250 in 2007, higher than out-of-pocket spending for patients
with asthma, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or high
blood pressure.
* Breast cancer patients, even when in remission, are unlikely to find
meaningful insurance coverage in the individual insurance market. A full 11
percent of individuals with any cancer said they could not obtain health
coverage in the individual insurance market.
"Today, breast cancer patients incur thousands of dollars in debt, and breast
cancer survivors struggle to get the affordable care they need," Sebelius added.
"Health insurance reform will bring costs down, make care more affordable and
prevent insurance companies from discriminating against breast cancer
survivors."
Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are
available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.
HHS Press Office
202-690-6343
Copyright Business Wire 2009
