“There are many factors that influence whether women seek healthcare. We are blessed with our monthly cycles and all the symptoms that come with them so, we’re used to putting up with a little bit of discomfort in our lives. And most cancers don’t present with acute symptoms you can’t ignore. We also tend to care for others, often while trying to keep up in the workplace. Our healthcare system is difficult to navigate and sometimes costly. There are a lot of patients who I might have met earlier if any of those factors were different,” Dr. Katharine Esselen, OB/GYN, MD, Associate Professor and Gynecologic Oncologist.
Moms are “Chief Medical Officers” in most families yet, we routinely deprioritize our own health. According to the Alliance for Women’s Health & Prevention, “42% of women are forgoing preventive care services such as annual check-ups, medical tests or treatments, and vaccines, or had trouble getting an appointment with a provider in the last year.”
Of course, there are many reasons for this. Project managing healthcare is complex, time consuming and expensive. If you’re also responsible for your kids or parents appointments, then “more” visits on your calendar feels like a burden. But women are at greater risk for many medical conditions and out health remains understudied. So, being proactive is an incredible opportunity to advance your needs and goals from a foundation of wellbeing.
Disrupt the Pull Towards Self-Sacrifice
Most studies validate what we see every day. Moms lack discretionary time and feel too guilty to use what little we have on self-care. We stitch our identities to being “of service” and this cultural norm can persist, even through serious illnesses.
In our Caregivers with Cancer research study, in partnership with Emmanuel College, parents and family caregivers with cancer still struggled to make time for self-care. Most are women (73%) and very few (13%) cite doing a “great job” as caregivers to themselves but more often report providing “great” care to others. Whether it was for their children or aging parents (24.7% and 17.5% respectively.)
Prevention and Early Treatment is Life Saving
Katharine spends her nonclinical time researching and advocating better healthcare access. She explained, “We take care of a number of different diagnoses. Beyond the big three everyone knows about, uterine cancers, ovarian cancers and cervical cancers. And there are a variety of ways in which a woman might get diagnosed. When I meet a patient and learn her history, I’m always wondering about the barriers. Because we meet women who haven’t sought treatment or may have ignored symptoms for quite some time.”
Managing Your Health is an Investment
Recommended screenings, like mammograms, colonoscopies and pap smears, are very effective. Early detection dramatically improves results. Caring for your medical needs is a critical part of honoring your dreams, ambitions and family vision
Although most of us avoid career disruption, serious illnesses are life altering and expensive. Katharine’s research is focused on better health access. And the disproportionate financial burden cancer patients carry.
Financial Stability Impacts Longevity and Options
Katharine said, “in our research we saw that patients with high financial toxicity and ovarian cancer are two to three times more likely to die of their disease than patients who didn’t have those stressors. It’s a small study but the signal is there. And in other studies (with larger sample sizes) we’re seeing the same trend. When financial hardship by some measure is present, patients have higher risk of mortality.”
Serious Illness is Expensive
In the US most health insurance, for those under 65. is tied to employment and employers subsidize healthcare in ways that make it more affordable, for those with access, only an estimated half of the population. However, even with medical insurance, serious conditions like cancer often result in unplanned expenses. Like time away from work or your business. You may also need additional childcare, transportation, or assistive devices through treatment, not to mention time and mental energy to orchestrate it.
We also know illness threatens career tenures so, medical debt is a known challenge in the US. Katharine’s research measures the level of financial hardship in cancer patients and how financial toxicity, impacts their coping mechanisms, treatment follow through and health outcomes.
If You’re in Treatment, Seek Support
Whether you need financial assistance, logistical help or strategies for your long-term care, hospitals are increasingly stepping in to provide help outside of the exam room. I volunteer for Beth Israel Hospital’s OB/GYN community advisory council. Which is how I happened to meet Katharine and learn about her amazing research.
Through the hospital’s philanthropic efforts, women receive holistic supports to improve quality of care and life. She said, “We screen of all of our patients for financial concerns early in the process and have a financial navigator embedded in our practice. We’ve helped with transportation, letters to employers and even their utility companies to help people adhere to the care we’re recommending in the least disruptive way possible.”
Assess Your Ability to Use Employer Benefits
Part one from this series, on needs for Caregivers with Cancer is focused on the role employers can play, which is significant. Your work environment, level of flexibility and benefits have an outsized influence on your health.
Most US employers will soon host open enrollment, the annual period to choose your benefits. If you receive health insurance from an employer (or if you’re married, your spouse’s) this is a great time to revisit your menu of options. Do you have discounted access to short-term, not just long-term disability insurance? What about life insurance, health savings accounts, financial planning or legal support? You may have resources through your employee benefits to ease the strain. Or support an extended leave of absence, illness or need for ongoing medical treatment.
Get Proactive and Confident Finding Support
We covered a lot. A few key points to remember.
– Preventative screenings and proactive medical care is critical for you, not only for your children and family members.
– Make the time and treat it like the long-term investment it truly is.
– If you have cancer or another serious illness, find out what types of supports you’ll need. Ask your medical team or health insurer to help connect the dots with other services, providers, patient communities or local support systems.
Many thanks to the talented Dr. Katharine Esselen MD!
Learn more about her specialties and practice at Beth Israel Hospital and consider giving to their philanthropy efforts that support patients with financial hardships. Her joint podcast interview, along with Dr. Ursula Matulonis with Oncology Live goes deep into her Financial Toxicity research findings. Follow her great adventure on LinkedIn.
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