Why
4 Alarming Data Points
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Problems of the Existing System
The existing cancer care ecosystem in Central Texas all too often does not effectively serve our uninsured and vulnerable populations, frequently leaving those without insurance to fall through the cracks.
While the Medical Access Program (MAP), Travis County’s local tax-based healthcare through Central Health, does a great job serving Travis County residents, this leaves the surrounding counties with only two options–indigent care or charity care—and each has significant flaws.
Indigent care is available for individuals that fall under 21% of the federal poverty level, which is about $2,705 annually for an individual or $4,612 for a family of three. Because almost no one qualifies for indigent care, those who are uninsured are left to search for charity care. Our current charity care system is disconnected, inconsistent, and frequently unavailable to most individuals. To make matters more complicated, cancer patients have to see multiple providers through their treatment, and seeking numerous funding sources causes gaps in their continuum of care and – all too often – results in death.
Breast Cancer Survival By Stage
The SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results) database tracks 5-year relative survival rates for breast cancer in the United States, based on how far the cancer has spread.
