Patients Face High Out-of-Pocket Costs After Incident Cancer Diagnosis

FRIDAY, July 25, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Patients face high out-of-pocket costs (OOPCs) after an incident diagnosis of cancer, with costs increasing with stage of diagnosis, according to a study published online July 21 in JAMA Network Open.

Liam Rose, Ph.D., from the Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, California, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study to examine OOPCs attributable to initial treatment of common cancers (breast, colorectal, and lung) among privately insured individuals diagnosed at different stages. The cohort included 46,158 patients younger than 65 years, including 19,656 with cancer and 26,502 without cancer (control group). Of those with cancer, 14,581; 2,842; and 2,233 patients had breast, colorectal, and lung cancer, respectively.

The researchers found that an incident cancer diagnosis was associated with a $592.53 per month mean increase in OOPCs for six months after diagnosis. There was a monotonic increase in cost with stage at diagnosis (mean OOPC increase ranged from $462.01 to $719.97 per month for stage 0 and 4, respectively).

“The variability in OOPCs based on cancer stage underscores the need for policies such as paid sick leave, that address both insurance continuity and financial assistance, especially for patients with more advanced cancer,” the authors write.

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