The Right Doctors Can Make All The Difference When It Comes To Treating Cancer.

The Right Doctors Can Make All The Difference When It Comes To Treating Cancer.

December 14, 2015

The Right Doctors Can Make All The Difference When It Comes To Treating Cancer.


Although America indeed has some of the best cancer care in the world, there is no guarantee that any particular patient will receive it.

Sharon Begley, currently the senior science writer at STAT, the life sciences publication of the Boston Globe, interviewed dozens of oncologists, pored over published papers, and obtained outcomes data that cancer centers have never before made public.  Her findings made it clear that for many cancers there are indeed significant outcome differences depending where you are treated. "There is clear documentation that not all Americans get the best cancer care, even though it is available," says cancer surgeon Stephen Edge of Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y. "We definitely have wide variations."

  • First, there are differences between the nation's top cancer centers and local hospitals and oncologists in private practice—where 90 percent of cancer patients are treated.  At top cancer centers, surgeons, oncologists, and radiologists coordinate care smoothly, so patients get what they need right away rather than waiting weeks between scans, diagnoses, and treatment.
  • Second, the newest treatments for cancer may not be approved by insurance companies – leaving the patient the choice between dying or living with financial ruin. 
  • Third, Obamacare plans are not accepted by many of the nation’s top cancer treatment centers – once again leaving the patient the choice between dying or living with financial ruin. 

So how do you prepare financially for a cancer diagnosis?  By purchasing a living benefits policy that pays out in the event of life-threatening illness.  The proceeds can be used to pay for the best treatment – and provide you with the greatest opportunity to survive physically and financially.