Health Care Crisis: The Head and Neck Cancer Patient and Affordable Health Insurance
Autor: | Patrick C. Hagen, Daniel W. Nuss, George D. Lyons, Michael S. Ellis |
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Rok vydání: | 1993 |
Předmět: | |
Zdroj: | Ear, Nose & Throat Journal. 72:334-340 |
ISSN: | 1942-7522 0145-5613 |
DOI: | 10.1177/014556139307200507 |
Popis: | In an evaluation of 30 patients with head and neck cancer, we found that 14 (46%) were uninsured at the time of diagnosis and 15 (50%) had yearly incomes below the poverty level. Tobacco and alcohol were identified as risk factors in 25 (83%) of the patients. These patients spent an average of $2,781 on carcinogenic agents yearly, increasing the risk of cancer 55 times that of the unexposed population, whereas the cost of a health insurance policy was $2,321 per year. To remedy the disparities and incongruities of this situation, we advocate patient education to influence behavioral change in these high-risk groups, a lowering of insurance rates, legal reform, and continued physician activism toward managing the current health care crisis. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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