Advocates: Tax bill would hurt cancer patients, survivors by increasing cost, limiting access
His life.
Holtz, now lead ambassador for
The
Higher costs, less coverage?
Holtz has a list of reasons he said the
"Repealing the individual mandate would significantly weaken the individual insurance market, leading to higher premiums, fewer choices and more uninsured Americans," said Holtz, citing a report from the
Second, it could increase insurance premiums by 10 percent or more, the CBO report said -- which would hit cancer patients, who likely are already paying more for drugs and treatments, harder.
Cancer patients use more services
Cancer patients and survivors utilize the health care system more than average patients, with multiple diagnostic tests, genetic testing, expensive treatments, multiple hospital and doctor visits, and long-term follow-up, Holtz said.
Not having health insurance to get him to remission would have financially "destroyed" his family, Holtz said.
"Survivors can't afford losing access to care," he said.
Holtz said there are about 300,000 cancer survivors in
Early diagnosis, treatment is key
Research suggests uninsured patients are more likely than insured to be diagnosed in a later stage of cancer, increasing the cost of their care and decreasing their survival rates.
Marketplace coverage hasn't been perfect; some patients have complained of exorbitant out-of-pocket costs that force them to decide whether they can afford particular treatment, and others have complained that several nationally known cancer treatment centers weren't in network.
But the ACA, as it's currently written, does protect cancer survivors from being refused insurance policies based on "pre-existing conditions," as happened routinely before the law was passed.
Prostate cancer survivor and ACA advocate
The ACA as it now stands requires policies to cover 100 percent of certain preventive care, including some cancer screenings. Henighan said his prostate cancer was diagnosed in a routine annual screening.
"One year it wasn't there, the next year it was," he said. Because of the annual screening, recommended for his age, "they caught it early, and so far treatment has been effective."
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