As oncology social workers, we work closely with cancer patients and their families through radiation treatment. During radiation, most patients are treated five days a week either in an inpatient or outpatient setting. This allows us a unique opportunity to work closely with patients on issues they face such as transportation, applying for benefits, adjustment to illness, supportive counseling and much more. However, one of the most common challenges we see is financial difficulty.

There is an immense disparity between the cancer care that is available and what people can afford. As patients seek treatments for various cancer diagnoses, many find that their treatments must be delayed due to their lack of financial resources or a delay from the insurance company for authorization. These delays in patient treatments have the possibility of creating more long-terms effects, due to disease progression, as they wait for assistance or authorization.

The Cancer Support Community (CSC) completed a survey of 1,000 patients with cancer and found that more than 20 percent skipped recommended treatments because they feared the high out-of-pocket costs for their care, while almost half said their costs were higher than expected. While some of the methods of treating cancer are toxic, there is also a financial toxicity that often goes unaddressed.

With the Affordable Care Act, many believe that because they pay their monthly premium and are insured, they will be covered if they are sick or faced with a cancer diagnosis. However, the CSC found that patients who are covered by the Affordable Care Act have the poorest understanding of their coverage. Educating consumers about their deductible, maximum out-of-pocket costs and coinsurance could save their lives and put their minds at ease—or at least not give them a complete shock.

Cancer is no longer a death sentence; it is becoming more of a chronic disease. This in turn “could require more complex, costly and long-term treatment,” Jayne O’Donnell and Jacquie Lee of Express Scripts said in USA Today (December 1, 2016.) Unfortunately, these findings, along with the CSC survey, create more barriers in access to care for patients. There may also be an under-representation for several racial and ethnic populations as the majority of people who participated in the CSC survey were non-Hispanic white females. Previous research has shown that many ethnic groups experience high barriers in access to care.

Thankfully, oncology social workers are becoming more prevalent in hospital systems and outpatient clinics. Social workers can assist many patients in breaking down these barriers to care. There are so many foundations and financial resources available to patients receiving cancer treatment, and social workers can be the bridge to these resources. They can also provide the social and emotional support services that 53 percent of those surveyed said they never received.

As oncology social workers, we pride ourselves in treating the whole patient, from their diagnosis to their emotional, financial and nutritional needs. Social workers can help with foundation applications and finding resources to ensure each patient gets the quality cancer care they deserve. We have a unique opportunity to assist patients in overcoming the financial barriers they face.

The Radiation SIG is so glad to be a part of AOSW and work with such great oncology social workers! Please feel free to reach out if you would like to know more about the radiation side of oncology throughout the year!