The United States Spends More On Cancer Treatment Than Other Countries, But Are We Getting Our Money’s Worth?

Australia, Finland, Iceland, Japan, Korea, and Switzerland were the only countries with lower cancer mortality and spending than the United States.

 

Despite spending more on cancer care than any other country, the United States does not have lower cancer mortality rates.

“The United States spends over $200 billion per year on cancer care — nearly $600 per person, compared to $300 per person in other high-income nations,” said Cary Gross, a Yale University professor of medicine. “This begs the question of whether we are receiving our money’s worth. ”

 

In a study published by JAMA Network, researchers went out to address that question.

The US has spent more per capita on health care than any other country for decades. Health-care spending in the United States than doubled from $1.9 trillion in 2000 to $3.8 trillion in 2019. In the United States, spending on cancer care has followed a similar path, hitting $200 billion by 2020. Patients bear a significant financial burden as a result of these costs, with yearly out-of-pocket spending on cancer care estimated to be $16 billion. Furthermore, many cancer survivors claim that their treatment has left them in debt.

Cancer care spending was not linked to age-standardized cancer mortality rates in this cross-sectional analysis of 22 high-income nations. Despite the fact that the United States spent more on cancer care than any other country, this spending was not linked to significantly reduced cancer mortality rates. “In other words, countries that spend more on cancer care do not always have better cancer outcomes,” said Ryan Chow, the study’s primary author.

In fact, six countries had lower cancer mortality and spending than the United States: Australia, Finland, Iceland, Japan, Korea, and Switzerland.

 

Smoking is the leading cause of cancer death, yet smoking rates in the United States have generally been lower than in other countries. When researchers took into account international differences in smoking rates, cancer mortality rates in the United States were no different than those in the typical high-income country. Nine countries had lower smoking-adjusted cancer mortality than the United States: Australia, Finland, Iceland, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, and Switzerland.

“Adjusting for smoking casts the United States in an even more negative light,” Chow explained, “since the United States’ low smoking rates have proved protective against cancer mortality.”

 

According to the authors, more study is needed to identify particular policy measures that could meaningfully reform the US cancer care system. They do, however, blame loose regulation of cancer drug approvals and drug pricing for the high expense of cancer care in the United States.

“The pattern of paying more and receiving less in the US health-care system is well-documented; now we find it in cancer care as well,” said Elizabeth Bradley, president of Vassar College and a professor of science, technology, and society. “If we could be open to change, other countries and systems have a lot to teach us.”

 

 

 

 

Source: https://www.benefitspro.com/2022/06/03/u-s-spends-more-on-cancer-care-than-other-countries-but-is-it-getting-its-moneys-worth/