Medical Cost of Cancer Care for Privately Insured Children in Chile

Abstract

Medical care for children with cancer is complex and expensive, and represents a large financial burden for families around the world. We estimated the medical cost of cancer care for children under the age of 18, using administrative records of the universe of children with private insurance in Chile in the period 2007–2018, based on a sample of 3853 observations. We analyzed total cost and out-of-pocket spending by patients’ characteristics, type of cancer, and by service. Children with cancer had high annual medical costs, USD 32,287 on average for 2018. Costs were higher for the younger children in the sample. The vast majority of the cost was driven by inpatient hospital care for all types of cancer. The average total cost increased 20% in real terms over the period of study, while out-of-pocket expenses increased almost 29%. Private insurance beneficiaries faced a significant economic burden associated with medical treatment of a child with cancer. Interventions that reduce hospitalizations, as well as systemwide reforms that incorporate maximum out-of-pocket payments and prevent catastrophic expenditures, can contribute to alleviating the financial burden of childhood cancer.

The Psychosocial Burden of Families with Childhood Blood Cancer

“…The financial burden of pediatric cancer care can be substantial [ 27 ]. Borrescio-Higa and Valdes (2021) show that the medical costs of pediatric cancer care are high in Chile, double the per-capita gross domestic product (GDP), with out-of-pocket spending representing almost a third of the annual income of an average policyholder [ 5 ]. In this paper, we find that economic fragility increases following a diagnosis of childhood cancer, as many caregivers report job loss and absenteeism.…”

“…The treatment of children with cancer is expensive and resource intensive worldwide, and Chile is no exception [ 4 , 5 ]. However, the medical cost is not the only cost for families; several other associated costs contribute to the overall burden of cancer, namely, direct (e.g., medical care), indirect (loss of resources and opportunities), and psychosocial [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ].…”

Healthcare costs of cancer among children, adolescents, and young adults: A scoping review

“…36,43 Five studies were exclusive to long-term cancer survivors, two of which were 3-and 5-year post cancer diagnosis. 25,26,28,30,54 In the rest of the studies, participants either were still with cancer, 27,29,32,34,35,42,[44][45][46][47]55 within 1-year post diagnosis 37,49,50 or up to 3-year post diagnosis. 31,33,53 Cost estimates were limited in time or specific to a particular care phase, cancer type, type of cost (e.g., hospital use and medication costs).…”

“…There was a wide mix of cost components mostly comprising hospital use or inpatient care (n = 21, 70%) as shown in Figure 2 and Table S5. 27,29,[32][33][34]43,48 The largest contributor to healthcare costs, according to nine studies, 33,35,[37][38][39]41,50,51,54 was hospitalizations, accounting for 45% to 93% of total costs (Table S4).…”

Financial Hardship in Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology: The Need for Multidimensional and Multilevel Approaches

“…5,6 These results are broadly consistent with studies from Canada, Chile, India, and the United States, underscoring the greater financial burden on the health care system for treating younger patients with cancer. [7][8][9][10][11] ASSOCIATED CONTENT…”