While the Breast Cancer Survivorship Foundation (BCSF) offers grants to cover these costs until legislation is past, there are a few unknowns as to why we are not seeing request for financial support.l from us. What are we missing? Help us get the word out that the BCSF is a resource to help.
? Women's Health Update ? A new national poll released today by Brem Foundation to Defeat Breast Cancer and No Patient Left Behind (NPLB), in partnership with HarrisX - a Stagwell Inc. company and AmyLeV Strategies, shows that 2 in 5 (39%) – or an estimated 28 million – of women of the recommended breast cancer screening age (40-74) have not had a mammogram or other screening over the past year. Among the women who have not been screened, 42% – or approximately 12 million – also say they have no plans to do so over the next year. Nearly half of women (48%) surveyed said that even if they were diagnosed with breast cancer, they would abandon therapeutic treatment if out-of-pocket costs exceeded $2,000. The Brem Foundation and NPLB poll also shows perceived costs being among the top barriers to more women getting screened. Among the 28 million women ages 40-74 who have not had a breast cancer screening over the past year, nearly 1 in 3 (31%) name potential cost factors – from concerns about the costs of screening to worries about treatment expenses if diagnosed – as reasons not to get screened. According to the survey, one in three (33%) of all adult U.S. women, including 41% of women ages 40-74, have been asked to return for additional testing after an initial abnormal mammogram or because of symptoms, such as a lump or pain. The out-of-pocket costs for additional diagnostic testing – such as an ultrasound or MRI – often range from about $250 to $1000, and can be more than $3,000, an amount that many women see as a reason not to seek screening in the first place. 44% of women in the U.S. said they would skip recommended diagnostic breast exams if the out-of-pocket costs were to exceed $1,000. Treatment costs are also a significant deterrent for women across the country. Nearly half (48%) of all adult women say that if they were diagnosed with breast cancer, they would be unlikely to pursue treatment if their out-of-pocket costs were to exceed $2,000. Among women whose annual household income is less than $75,000, 58% say they would be unlikely to seek treatment if it exceeded $2,000. “Unfortunately, just the possibility of having to pay thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs for doctor-prescribed care, whether it’s for screening or treatment, deters many women from getting the care they need when they need it,” said Peter Rubin, Executive Director at NPLB. “At a time when so many live paycheck to paycheck, we must pass life-saving legislation that caps breast cancer patient costs – the lower, the better." #breastcancer #womenshealth #access Learn more here! https://lnkd.in/eetC2d7P Brem Rachel Amy Leveton Peter L. Rubin Julia Lichtman Kepniss
