World Cancer Day aims to raise awareness of the disease and encourage us to face up to the challenges cancer brings.
According to the NHS, one in two people will develop some form of cancer during their lifetime, so it’s no wonder that cancer cover is one of the main reasons why people take out health insurance.
Fast access to treatment when it is needed is understandably a top priority for the majority of people.
However, what often gets overlooked is the breadth of support available through health insurance for cancer patients – before, during and after treatment.
Cutting-edge treatment
When a client is diagnosed with cancer, it is vital they get access to the most effective form of treatment that is best suited to them. Depending on their cancer and its stage, the support and treatment a person will need will vary.
Their treatment needs might include chemotherapy and radiotherapy, as well as surgery, or a mixture of all three. Some will also require reconstructive surgery, alongside other forms of hormone therapy including stem cell and bone marrow transplants.
Insurers can provide access to cutting-edge treatments, reviewing the latest advancements in cancer technology, authorising new treatments as the supporting clinical evidence becomes available, many of which may not yet be established practice or available within the NHS.
Personalised treatment, tailored to the individual cancer of a client can also be very valuable.
Hospitals use the latest tests to indicate an individual’s best-suited course following diagnosis, and this is where health insurance can provide comprehensive coverage.
Members also value being able to choose to have some elements of their treatment at home, such as remote chemotherapy, rather than needing to go into hospital for everything.
Prevention
We have found higher engagement with our health and wellbeing programme correlates to a lower likelihood of a cancer claim, and those engaged have less costs incurred when a claim is made, indicating reduced severity and improved patient outcomes as a result.
Furthermore, health insurance can provide people with access to screening, fast-track diagnostic services and examinations, and procedures on the same day as consultations.
Where people are identified as being at a high risk of developing cancer, a health insurer may also cover the cost of preventative surgery to reduce the risk of it occurring at all.
Support after treatment
Getting a cancer diagnosis will dramatically affect any person’s life, so it is important to also ensure cancer support does not end when treatment does.
And sadly, for some people, a cancer diagnosis will involve end-of-life care. Where this happens health insurance can provide benefit payments for palliative care and home nursing.