Introduction

Rising health care costs and inadequate coverage burden many Americans.  Alarmingly, those Americans most likely to fall through the cracks are also those who need care the most.  Breast cancer patients face great uncertainty in the current health care system. Women diagnosed with breast cancer, whether insured or not, face significant and sometimes devastating hurdles to receiving timely, affordable treatment.

Breast cancer is the second leading type of cancer among women.¹  The disease will affect one in eight American women during their lifetime,² with treatment costs totaling $7 billion in 2007.³ Older women are more likely to develop breast cancer, as well as women who are obese and those who have a history of cancer in their family.⁴ This year alone, an estimated 192,370 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 40,170 will die from the disease, making it the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women.⁵

The affordability of treatment is often a concern for women diagnosed with breast cancer. Rising health care costs have left a growing number of Americans either uninsured or with less meaningful coverage than they need and deserve. The results of a recent survey estimated that 72 million, or 41 percent, of nonelderly adults have accumulated medical debt or had difficulty paying medical bills in the past year – and 61 percent of those experiencing difficulty paying medical bills had insurance.⁶ Health insurance reform seeks to eliminate these hurdles to ensure that women with breast cancer, along with all Americans, get the quality, affordable health care they deserve.