Regence Partners With Answer2Cancer to Help People and Families Living With Serious Illness

PORTLAND, Ore., March 21 -- Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon issued the following news release:

A cancer diagnosis changes your life and the lives of the people who love you. Fighting cancer becomes an individual and community effort: there is so much to navigate, it can be a challenge for both the person experiencing the diagnosis and those supporting them.

That's why Regence joins the American Cancer Society, Project Access Now and Compass Oncology among an elite group of sponsors for the biennial Answer2Cancer conference, an upcoming, all-day patient education summit that was planned by cancer patients for cancer patients and their caregivers or care partners on Saturday, April 7, 2018 in Portland, Oregon.

In 2016, Lee Spears, Program Director of Regence Personalized Care Support, gave a well-received presentation, at the inaugural Answer2Cancer event, on how consumers can work with their health insurance company to best navigate a cancer diagnosis. This year Regence has been invited back as the only health insurer to present again and to participate in the Palliative Care Palooza, which comprises breakout sessions and roundtable discussion for all attendees. This event is focused on oncology patients, families, and caregivers--offering them support, education, and community among other patients and caregivers.

"We're honored to have been invited back to reach out to the local cancer patient and caregiver community, and to share more about how palliative care can help those living with a serious illness," said Lee. "This is a huge opportunity to educate consumers about how to work alongside their health insurer to get benefits they may not know they already have, especially if they are Regence members."

Keynote speaker, Bryce Olson, the Global Marketing Director of Health and Life Sciences at Intel Corporation will share his empowering story of being a stage 4 prostate cancer patient and how genomic sequencing has extended his life.

Answer2Cancer will be held from 8:30 am-4:30 pm on Saturday, April 7, 2018 at Doubletree by Hilton, Lloyd Center, 1000 NE Multnomah Blvd., in Portland. The event is free, but registration is required by Friday, March 30th at www.answer2cancer.org.

To learn more about Regence's approach to palliative care, please visit our Personalized Care Support page (https://www.regence.com/web/regence_individual/palliative-care).