The diagnosis of cancer, along with subsequent related care, imposes a number of burdens on patients - physical, emotional, and financial. The financial expenses extend well beyond the cost of medication, surgery, and related treatments. So far, the extent and consequences of the cancer-related out-of-pocket costs and experience-reduced income for cancer patients in Germany is poorly understood. In the U.S., studies show that patients under cancer treatment experience considerable financial burden and even alter their care to defray out-of-pocket expenses. In Germany out-of-pocket expenses have also been remarkably increased as response to rising healthcare costs with the passage of the Health-Modernising-Act (Gesundheitsmodernisierungsgesetz 2004). The aim of the project is to provide an overview on patients’ financial losses and risk for poverty due a malignant debilitating disease and to demonstrate the costs for patients, health- and public insurances. A further aim is to develop a tool to early detect patients’ problems with economic/social poverty.
Aim of the project:
- To investigate the effects of cancer costs and income losses due to NET diagnosis
- To investigate impact of financial losses on treatment choices
- Aiming at early detection of patients at risk for impoverishment