I am sure you know that cancer is the leading cause of life years lost in the United States. You’ve seen in the media that early detection saves lives. Have you ever thought about how to detect cancer early? Would you recognize a cancer symptom?
About 40% of your clients will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. Cancer is one of the most expensive diseases to treat. In 2014, the U.S. health system spent roughly $87.8 billion on direct cancer-related health care, $4 billion of which was spent directly by patients and their families. Much of this cost is undoubtedly associated with expensive multi-disciplinary treatments for advanced stages of cancer.
Resources
- A 15-40 Connection academic journal article about the economic impact of the early detection and diagnosis of cancer is available here.
- An article about influenza prevention is available here.
What would the cost of fighting advanced stages of cancer do to your client’s portfolio?
If everyone detected the five most common cancers (breast, colon, lung, skin, prostate) early, the savings would be $10.7 billion annually on treatment costs alone in the U.S. Earlier diagnosis of all cancer types could save an estimated $26 billion annually.
How do you prepare your clients?
There are two important actions clients need to take.