High deductibles can discourage women from seeking additional cancer screenings, study finds

Deductibles can deter women from seeking additional screening after abnormal findings on a mammogram, a study presented Nov. 29 at the Radiological Society of North America found. 

Researchers at Boston Medical Center and Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine surveyed 932 patients on whether they would skip imaging if they knew they had to pay a deductible. 

Of the respondents, 21.2 percent said they would skip additional imaging. 

Hispanic respondents, those with a high school education or less, low income patients, and those with Medicaid or who were uninsured were more likely to say they would forgo additional tests. 

"Our study demonstrates that out-of-pocket payments will discourage people, especially those belonging in the most vulnerable populations, from completing the last steps in the breast cancer screening process," Michael Ngo, MD, the study's lead author, said in a news release. 

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