Cancer Prevention & Control, Client-Oriented Screening Interventions: Reducing Out-of-Pocket Costs

(2008 Archived Review)

Task Force Finding*

These interventions attempt to minimize or remove economic barriers that impede client access to cancer screening services. Costs can be reduced through a variety of approaches, including vouchers, reimbursements, reduction in copays, or adjustments in federal or state insurance coverage. Efforts to reduce client costs may be combined with measures to provide client education, information about program availability, or measures to reduce structural barriers.

The Task Force recommends reducing out-of-pocket costs to clients to increase screening for breast cancer on the basis of sufficient evidence of effectiveness. There is insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of this intervention in increasing screening for cervical or colorectal cancer because too few (cervical cancer) or no (colorectal cancer) studies were identified.

*From the following publication:

Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Recommendations for client- and provider-directed interventions to increase breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening. [PDF - 74KB] Am J Prev Med 2008;35(1S):S21–5.