Position Statements
Access to Quality Cancer Care
Quality cancer care requires safety, efficacy, timeliness, and a patient-centered approach coordinated by an interprofessional team with the integration of evidence-based practices to continuously improve care (Institute of Medicine, 2013). Without essential services targeted at reducing cancer risk, morbidity, and mortality, patients may suffer from an increased incidence of cancer, decreased quality of life, or less-than-optimal outcomes. Lack of insurance or inadequate healthcare coverage adversely affects health and cancer care on multiple levels. Uninsured individuals are less likely to receive preventive care or obtain screening, more likely to receive inadequate or delayed treatment, and more likely to die prematurely than those with adequate health insurance coverage.
