Table 2.
Survivor cost experiences during cancer treatment
| Theme | Subtheme | Code | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survivor cost conversation experiences | Survivor experiences with cancer cost information seeking | Never received information | Nobody brought up like the cost. It’s kind of funny when I go to the dentist. They always have that special person that’s like, okay, this is the cost of the treatment. These are your payment options. But that was not the case with the cancer |
| Cost communication delivery | So, I would say I’ve learned from the insurance company themselves | ||
| Emotional/cognitive burden | I was so stressed and worried about the cancer, and because the financial things right now was not a big issue… I was more focused on my health | ||
| Advantages of discussing costs with cancer care team | Avoiding unexpected costs | You’re not surprised. It’s nothing more than going somewhere and getting a procedure finding out that the co-pay is more than you have at the moment | |
| Stress and anxiety relief | Being able to talk to somebody will relieve anxiety and stress so that you can focus on your health and not worry about finances | ||
| Financial planning | I think it could definitely help and really just with planning | ||
| Disadvantages of discussing costs with cancer care team | Uncomfortable sharing finances | Some people might not want to be talking about the financial troubles with everybody, so I think that that will be the disadvantage | |
| Financial fatalism | You could have a real sticker shock and become very fatalistic in looking at the fact that you can’t afford what you’re going to experience. It can look to someone like a death sentence | ||
| Decision-making in cancer treatment | Impact of cost on treatment decisions | I can’t imagine the conversation telling somebody you can be broke or dead… But it’s real sad, though, that for the average person you have a choice to be broke or dead | |
| Shared decision-making | I would take my doctor’s lead, and then I would go home and do my own research [before making a shared decision] | ||
| Treatment prioritization | It was definitely my chance of recovery |