How much does it cost to do a cancer screening in the US?
The New York Times published an article about The Annual Cost of Cancer Screening in the United States, The analysis, published in The Annals of Internal Medicine and based on data for the year 2021, shows that cancer screening makes up a substantial proportion of what is spent every year on cancer in the United States, which most likely exceeds $250 billion. The researchers focused their estimate on breast, cervical, colorectal, lung and prostate cancers, and found that more than 88 percent of screening was paid for by private insurance and the rest mostly by government programs.
Healthcare professionals shared their opinion on the article.
Benjamin Mazer, Assistant Professor of Pathology at Johns Hopkins University, shared on X:
“Cancer screening costs about $43 billion in the US (not counting followup care). Blood-based cancer screening could add $100 billion to that tab. We should know if it works first.
‘The Annual Cost of Cancer Screening in the United States’
Authors: Michael T. Halpern, Benmei Liu, Douglas R. Lowy, Samir Gupta, Jennifer M. Croswell, and V. Paul Doria-Rose. ”
Jeffrey West, Assistant Member at Moffitt Research:
“Very pessimistic article in the NYT questioning the cost-value relationship of cancer screening.”
Saskia Popescu, Assistant Professor at UMSOM Department of Epidemiology and Public Health:
“Important findings from some fantastic colleagues at UMSOM Department of Epidemiology and Public Health – Study Puts a $43 Billion Yearly Price Tag on Cancer Screening – The New York Times.”
Ryan Nipp, Oncologist and cancer outcomes researcher at the University of Oklahoma:
“The Annual Cost of Cancer Screening in the United States.”
For more information about cancer screening visit OncoDaily.com