Opinion: The science on relieving cancer symptoms is clear. Why isn’t insurance paying?

URL has been copied successfully!

For much of my career in cancer care, I have seen a contradiction play out in the exam rooms of my colleagues and across the country. Cancer patients ask how to manage pain, fatigue, anxiety, immune suppression, and the daily toll of the disease. Clinicians often prescribe only medication, even though they know other evidence-based treatments could help: acupuncture for chemotherapy-induced nausea; exercise and nutrition counseling to improve clinical outcomes; and mindfulness-based programs to ease distress, sleep problems, and even immune dysfunction.

When doctors and patients do discuss these treatments, too often the conversation ends with a shrug: “Insurance doesn’t cover that.”

Read the rest…

Please follow us:
Follow by Email
X (Twitter)
Whatsapp
LinkedIn
Copy link

This post was originally published here