Cancer hits hip pockets
A NEWLY released report has shown breast cancer patients are paying thousands of dollars in out- ofpocket costs and regional women could face even more financial stress.
The Breast Cancer Network Australia report released today reveals women typically pay about $ 5000 in out- of- pocket costs in the five years after their diagnosis, but for 25 per cent of women that blows out to more than $ 17,200.
These figures do not account for lost income while women undergo treatment, with the report also showing the total number of household hours worked dropped by 50 per cent in the first year after diagnosis.
Mount Louisa mother- oftwo Dannette Treloar knows the reality of these costs well.
She was diagnosed in June 2015 and the disease has cost her more than $ 8000 in out- of- pocket fees but also forced her and husband Paul to scale back their consultancy business.
“I worked less due to time spent with medical appointments and the side- effects of those treatments leaving me tired, but when I did get the energy to do work, it took me longer than normal as the ‘ chemo brain’ makes it hard to focus and my attention span was very short,” she said.
“I forgot things, I forgot about bills once ... that sort of stuff is hard. My husband also had to cut back his hours to help.”
The extra financial costs also meant other plans had to be put on hold.
“We were going to build our dream home,” she said.
The family is now getting back on its feet, with the Treloars’ new home near completion.
But that doesn’t mean the battle is over, with Mr Treloar still working to rebuild his client list to the level it was at before Mrs Treloar’s illness.
“I have to have an MRI and mammogram each year and they’re about $ 600,” Mrs Treloar said.
BCNA’s general manager of policy Kathy Wells said regional women faced an extra level of financial hardship compared with their city counterparts because of travel costs and inconvenience.
“The out- of- pocket costs in rural and regionals areas were comparable but they had fewer treatments for that money,” she said.
“They’re more likely to have a mastectomy than breast cancer treatment such as radiation because of the extra travel. Rural and regional women are also less likely to have breast reconstruction surgery.”
The report sets out recommendations including changes to private health insurance practices, extra support from Centrelink, increased Medicare rebates and more comprehensive information about costs.