University of Adolfo Ibanez Reports Findings in Cancer (Medical Cost of Cancer Care for Privately Insured Children in Chile)

2021 JUL 09 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Pediatrics Daily News -- New research on Cancer is the subject of a report. According to news reporting originating in Santiago, Chile, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “Medical care for children with cancer is complex and expensive, and represents a large financial burden for families around the world. We estimated the medical cost of cancer care for children under the age of 18, using administrative records of the universe of children with private insurance in Chile in the period 2007-2018, based on a sample of 3853 observations.”

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from the University of Adolfo Ibanez, “We analyzed total cost and out-of-pocket spending by patients’ characteristics, type of cancer, and by service. Children with cancer had high annual medical costs, USD 32,287 on average for 2018. Costs were higher for the younger children in the sample. The vast majority of the cost was driven by inpatient hospital care for all types of cancer. The average total cost increased 20% in real terms over the period of study, while out-of-pocket expenses increased almost 29%. Private insurance beneficiaries faced a significant economic burden associated with medical treatment of a child with cancer.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Interventions that reduce hospitalizations, as well as systemwide reforms that incorporate maximum out-of-pocket payments and prevent catastrophic expenditures, can contribute to alleviating the financial burden of childhood cancer.”

For more information on this research see: Medical Cost of Cancer Care for Privately Insured Children in Chile. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021;18(13):6746. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health can be contacted at: Mdpi, St Alban-Anlage 66, Ch-4052 Basel, Switzerland.

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Nieves Valdes, Business School, University of Adolfo Ibanez, Santiago 7941169, Chile.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18136746. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

The publisher of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health can be contacted at: Mdpi, St Alban-Anlage 66, Ch-4052 Basel, Switzerland.

(Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world.)