Several studies show that people with cancer and survivors are more likely to have financial toxicity than are people without cancer.

Cancer is one of the most expensive medical conditions to treat in the United States. People with cancer may receive multiple types of treatments, including radiation therapy and systemic treatment, and may be hospitalized. People with cancer who have health insurance are paying higher premiums than in the past. They are also paying more for copayments, deductibles, and coinsurance.

Compared to 10 years ago, patients receive more expensive chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and other new types of treatments. Copayments for prescription drugs covered by health insurance may be more for higher priced drugs or brand name drugs (versus generic drugs) and may increase over time. These copayments and coinsurance for drugs may cause financial toxicity even for people with cancer who have health insurance.

Cancer survivors may have financial problems many years after they are diagnosed. This is because they may be paying for ongoing cancer treatment or care for late effects from their treatment.