Navigating costs of care in women with breast cancer: Examining racial differences in non-treatment costs and financial toxicity in under-resourced populations struggling to afford medical care.

Authors

Kathleen Gallagher

Kathleen D. Gallagher

Patient Advocate Foundation, Hampton, VA

Kathleen D. Gallagher, Brittnee Barris, Eric Anderson, Katie Deehr, Shonta Chambers, Courtney Williams, Gabrielle Betty Rocque, Alan James Balch

Organizations

Patient Advocate Foundation, Hampton, VA, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL

Research Funding

No funding received
None.

Background: Patients with cancer struggle to afford needed medical care alongside daily financial obligations due to rising healthcare costs. This may be more pronounced among minorities who are less likely to seek resources to mitigate their financial distress. This study sought to identify racial differences in non-treatment costs for under-resourced women with breast cancer who sought assistance from Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF). Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized secondary survey data collected from breast cancer patients receiving case management services from PAF in 2018. Respondents answered questions describing their financial distress and COmprehensive Score for financial Toxicity (COST) tool (0-44 with lower scores indicating worse toxicity). Descriptive statistics were calculated using means and standard deviations (SD) for continuous variables and frequencies for categorical variables. Two sample t-tests were used for bivariate comparisons between racial groups. Results: Of 267 breast cancer patients surveyed, 54% were Caucasian, 29% were African American (AA), and 83% indicated a household income of < $48,000. Cohorts expressed strong dissatisfaction with their financial situation with AA impacted more acutely (78% vs 56%) and acknowledged inability to pay for treatment costs (83% vs 58%). Compared to Caucasians, AAs were more often concerned with transportation costs (33% vs 16%) and with day-to-day living expenses (83% vs 59%). Younger (≤55 years) AA respondents were twice as often unable to meet monthly expenses (60% vs. 27%). Older AA respondents ( > 55 years) reported greater distress than older Caucasians (74% vs 57%), while younger Caucasians reported greater distress than their AA counterparts (72% vs 65%). COST scores differed significantly between Caucasians (mean 13, SD 9) and AAs (mean 11, SD 8; p = 0.04). Conclusions: While the impacts of medical care costs were felt by all survey respondents, under-resourced AA breast cancer patients may be at higher risk for household material hardships as financial resources are diverted toward essential healthcare costs.

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Abstract Details

Meeting

2019 ASCO Quality Care Symposium

Session Type

Poster Session

Session Title

Poster Session A: Cost, Value, and Policy; Health Equity and Disparities

Track

Cost, Value, and Policy,Health Care Access, Equity, and Disparities

Sub Track

Health Disparities

Citation

J Clin Oncol 37, 2019 (suppl 27; abstr 156)

DOI

10.1200/JCO.2019.37.27_suppl.156

Abstract #

156

Poster Bd #

Q1

Abstract Disclosures

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