Delivering compassionate support along the cancer journey
Dealing with a cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming. UnitedHealthcare has solutions that can help manage costs and simplify access to care.
It’s estimated that more than 2M new cancer cases will be diagnosed in the U.S. in 2025.1 And that comes at a high price. The direct medical cost of cancer care is over $200B, with $57.5B of that driven from employer-sponsored plans.2
This makes a cancer diagnosis not just emotionally overwhelming for the employee or their family member but also a huge expense for them and their employer.
Fortunately, with the right strategy and carrier, employers can design a health plan that aims to manage costs for themselves and their employees while still delivering the resources and support those battling cancer need.
The UnitedHealthcare approach to cancer care focuses on supporting the patient throughout their entire journey. That includes integrating the different touchpoints of care, addressing any gaps and providing access to quality care and treatments that help lower costs.
The financial impact of cancer for employers
As the number of cancer cases and associated costs keep climbing, care that treats the whole person becomes more critical:
- $58.35 average cost PMPM for employers3
- $17.27 average cost PMPM for maintenance treatment3
- Expected to comprise 30% of employer health spend by 20274
PMPM: per member, per month.
Support for every stage of the cancer journey
21M+
members served by Cancer Support Program to date5
A cancer diagnosis can come with many complications, beyond the medical ones. Emotions are often at a high for newly diagnosed patients and their families, and information can come at them fast as they work to navigate next steps. Transitioning from a primary care physician to a team of oncologists, dealing with prior authorizations and pharmaceuticals, and understanding what is covered and what isn’t are all situations an employee has to juggle as they start their journey.
While each cancer patient’s experience is unique, offering programs and solutions, such as the UnitedHealthcare Cancer Support Program, that span all the potential stages — from prevention and detection to treatment, management and end-of-life care — can help ensure employees and their families have access to the resources and support they need during a difficult time.
Encouraging prevention and early diagnosis
When it comes to preventing cancer, there are many genetic, environmental and social factors that may be out of a person’s control. However, there are some steps that may work to limit cancer risk factors and help foster early diagnosis. In fact, it’s predicted that 40% of newly diagnosed cancer instances in 2025 — excluding non-melanoma skin cancer —could have potentially been avoided with lifestyle changes.6
With obesity on the rise in the U.S. — a risk factor for many chronic conditions, including cancer — lifestyle modifications like eating healthier and becoming more physically active can make a difference. Programs like UnitedHealthcare Rewards and Real Appeal®, that reward participants for developing healthier habits, and Total Weight Support, a weight management solution that combines a motivation-based approach with prior authorized weight-loss medications, have proven to help employees and their families get on a path to better health.
Encouraging employees to seek regular screenings, and selecting a plan that covers those screenings and additional diagnostic services when needed, can help enable early diagnosis and more timely intervention.
Providing resources and support during treatment
For employers looking to strike the balance between quality care and cost management, it may be helpful to consider the Cancer Support Program from UnitedHealthcare. The Cancer Support Program provides specialized care management to help address the major components of cancer care that impact cost, quality and outcomes.
$437
reduction in PMPM spend for unplanned admissions for Cancer Support Program participants8
It accomplishes this by aligning all aspects of an individual’s cancer journey — from diagnosis, treatment, medication management and survivorship to end-of-life care. It also encourages access to quality, evidence-based care that may lower costs for employers and employees. This is accomplished through individualized coaching and education, with access to experienced oncology nurses who can help reinforce the treatment plan employees receive from their doctors.
But when a member is diagnosed with cancer, UnitedHealthcare is there to help support them through their journey while helping them manage costs. For example, through Cancer Resource Services, members have access to 40 top-performing Oncology Centers of Excellence (COEs) nationwide,9 as well as a travel and lodging benefit to help with associated costs.
The Cancer Guidance Program helps drive better decisions through evidence-based utilization management and analytics that ensure quality care and reduce costs. This program recommends patient-specific treatment plans for more than 23 types of cancer and can shorten the prior authorization process up to 54% through an auto-decisioning process.9
These programs are designed to help cancer patients get the care they need when they need it — and to relieve some of the emotional and financial burden that can come at the onset of a diagnosis and throughout treatment.
Offering assistance through survivorship and end-of-life care
When an employee enters remission or progresses to the point of needing hospice care, they still need access to resources and support. UnitedHealthcare understands that the need for care doesn’t end when active treatment does and provides:
- Coordination for monitoring disease recurrence, follow-up care and managing side effects
- Social and emotional support to help address return-to-work challenges that can occur after completed treatment
- Help with identifying end-of-life resources, including social workers, caregiver planning and palliative care
- Bereavement support for caregivers and family members while the employee is in hospice
The goal is to provide cancer patients with a single source for obtaining cancer information, support and resources as they navigate an often-complicated diagnosis. With the resources and programs provided by UnitedHealthcare, employees and their families may benefit from a coordinated experience, access to quality care specific to their diagnosis and lower out-of-pocket costs, which may in turn reduce the impact that cancer has on employers.
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