Out-of-Pocket Spending and Financial Burden Among Medicare Beneficiaries With Cancer

Abstract

Among the 5 health conditions that contribute most to health care costs in the United States, per-person direct medical expenditures on cancer are the highest.¹ Moreover, annual direct medical expenditures on cancer are projected to increase by nearly 40% from 2010 to 2020, largely owing to a combination of changing demographics, increased use of services, and expensive new treatments.² As most new cancers and cancer-associated deaths occur in adults older than 65 years, much of this cost burden will be borne by Medicare, the federal health insurance program for the elderly and disabled.³