LBBC Spring Patient Experience Newsletter: Equity and Financial Toxicity

Financial Toxicity & Equity

While Keneene Lewis, MA Ed, BSM was undergoing chemotherapy in Atlanta in 2019, bill collectors were calling her home. She had to work throughout her treatment and still had to declare bankruptcy in order to move forward. Today, she works as Support Services Coordinator at Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC), where she administers the Financial Assistance Grant program helping provide women in need with small grants to pay rent, utility bills, etc. She encourages those she meets to speak up and advocate for themselves to uncover opportunities that she was unaware of during her active treatment. She sees many Black and Brown women who are disproportionately affected by eviction, choosing between treatments and food, traveling hours to access care, and learning too late about sources of financial help. Financial Toxicity is a focus for LBBC and will be addressed at the 17th Annual Thriving Together 2023 Conference on Metastatic Breast Cancer Online workshops are held April 26 and the hybrid plenary sessions offered in-person in Philadelphia and virtually — April 28-29.

You’ve Got Dense Breasts, Now What?

In early March, the FDA released new guidance requiring mammography centers to inform those getting mammograms whether they have dense breasts, a risk factor for breast cancer. This national guideline will stitch together the patchwork of laws that now exist in 38 states requiring mammographers to inform about breast density, but which differ in how that information is delivered. Women found to have dense breasts should talk to their doctor about next steps, but additional screening tests such as ultrasound and MRI, are not always covered by insurance. With FDA’s new guidance, LBBC is advocating that payers cover the costs of indicated tests. The law goes into effect in 2024.  Find more at LBBC’s Beyond the Headlines.

DIEP FLAP Update

Living Beyond Breast Cancer CEO Jean Sachs continues to advocate for a swift reversal of the decision by the US Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) to pool tissue-based breast reconstruction surgeries like DIEP flap under a single billing code. Hundreds joined LBBC in signing a petition demanding CMS reinstate the original code, with the goal of ensuring access to DIEP flap nationwide. See Jean’s interview with WHYY, the Phila-area PBS affiliate.

To arrange interviews with LBBC staff or the diverse patient population we serve,

Contact Denise Portner at [email protected] .