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
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