Adding up healthcare costs for breast cancer survivors

A University of Queensland study has found breast cancer survivors face significant and persistent out-of-pocket costs for their ongoing healthcare.

Dr Aarushi Dhingra led a study while completing her PhD at UQ, investigating the financial repercussions of surviving a breast cancer diagnosis.

“While more and more people are now surviving breast cancer, many experience a substantial long-term financial burden afterwards,” Dr Dhingra said.

“During treatment the increase in pharmaceutical costs can be substantial with things like hormone therapy or medications to manage pain and symptoms – and these costs can remain for years.”

The researchers used data from almost 500 breast cancer survivors in the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women’s Health to estimate both short and long-term out-of-pocket expenses, specifically for non-hospital services and prescription medication.

“Even with Medicare, we found out-of-pocket costs average around $250 in the month of diagnosis, and $2000 in the year of diagnosis,” Dr Dhingra said.

“This is around 5 per cent of the average monthly pay for women in Australia, and even more for those working part-time.

“It may seem modest but other factors like a reduction in household income while undergoing treatment should also be considered.” 

The researchers found healthcare costs started to escalate about a month before diagnosis and could remain high for the first 6 months of treatment, depending on the type of care and prescriptions.

“As soon as someone is diagnosed with breast cancer, non-hospital medical services like GP visits, specialist consultations and diagnostic tests can be an immediate cost burden,” Dr Dhingra said.

“But perhaps the most direct financial pressure is the ongoing out-of-pocket expense of gaps between Medicare rebates and provider fees, co-payments for medication and the cost of allied health services like physiotherapy or psychology.”

Health economist Professor Brenda Gannon said the study fills a gap in knowledge about the broad financial impact of a breast cancer diagnosis on survivors. 

“Understanding the impact on the publicly funded healthcare system is also particularly important in the context of our ageing population, the prevalence of age-related diseases and technological advances that contribute to increasing survival rates,” Professor Gannon said.

“The findings could help policymakers address specific cost drivers and tailor interventions.“

The study was also co-authored by Associate Professor Terence Cheng from Monash University and UQ’s Professor Luke Connelly and Professor Gita Mishra.

Dr Dhingra is currently a Research Fellow at the University of Bologna, Italy.

The research is published in the European Journal of Health Economics.