MDiTV News: The High Cost of Care - How Does Your Doctor Decide What is Best for You?

www.mditv.com -- "My first thought was finances. I said I can't do this," reminisces Carol Couch. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she had no way to pay for treatment. But her doctor said she would be okay because Medicare would cover her bills. And it did. But Couch is lucky. Not everyone is covered. And with cancer and other diseases that may require intensive and expensive treatments, the cost of care can bring crushing bills for many. For almost a third of cancer patients, health care costs 10 percent or more of their family income. Out of pocket costs for low-income patients can wipe out 27 percent or more of their family income.

And many doctors feel their pain. The results of a recent nationwide survey of oncologists gives a glimpse into how doctors struggle with the costs of the treatments they recommend to patients. Of the 787 oncologists surveyed, two out of three said every American should have access to care regardless of cost. But at the same time, more than half said the cost of treatment, whether or not it is fully covered by insurance, does influence what they recommend to their patients. And when asked if the out of pocket expenses -- the ones patients have to pay themselves -- influence what they recommend, more than four out of five doctors said yes. But, less than half of the doctors in the survey said they actually talk about it with their patients.

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