Delivering compassionate support along the cancer journey

It’s estimated that more than 2M new cancer cases were diagnosed in the U.S. in 2025.¹ And that comes at a high price. The direct medical cost of cancer care is over $200B, with $57.5B of that driven from members covered under employer-sponsored plans.²

This makes a cancer diagnosis not just physically and emotionally overwhelming for the employee, and their family, but also comes at a significant financial expense to them and their employer.

Fortunately, with the right strategy and carrier, employers can design health plans that manage costs while providing access to resources and support for employees facing a cancer diagnosis.

The UnitedHealthcare approach to cancer care focuses on supporting the member throughout their entire journey. That includes integrating the different touchpoints of care, addressing any gaps and providing access to quality care and treatments that help lower costs.

A cancer diagnosis can come with many complications, beyond the medical ones. Emotions are often at a high for newly diagnosed patients and their families, and information can come at them fast as they work to navigate next steps. Transitioning from a primary care provider (PCP) to a team of oncologists, dealing with prior authorizations and pharmaceuticals and understanding what is covered and what isn’t are all situations an employee may experience as they start their journey.

While each cancer patient’s experience is unique, offering programs and solutions, such as the UnitedHealthcare Cancer Support Program, that span all the potential stages — from prevention and detection to treatment, management and end-of-life care — can help ensure employees and their families have access to the resources and support they need during a difficult time.

When it comes to preventing cancer, there are many genetic, environmental and social factors that may be out of a person’s control. However, there are some steps that may work to limit cancer risk factors and help foster early diagnosis. In fact, it’s predicted that 40% of newly diagnosed cancer instances in 2025 — excluding non-melanoma skin cancer — could have potentially been avoided with lifestyle changes.⁶

With obesity on the rise in the U.S. — a risk factor for many chronic conditions, including cancer — lifestyle modifications like eating healthier and becoming more physically active can make a difference. Incentive-based reward programs and weight management solutions such as Total Weight Support, which combines personalized support, behavior change tools and medication options, where clinically appropriate.

Encouraging employees to seek regular screenings and selecting a plan that covers those screenings and additional diagnostic services when needed can help enable early diagnosis and more timely intervention. In fact, the American Cancer Society attributes cancer prevention and screening interventions to averting 4.75M deaths from breast, cervical, colorectal, lung and prostate cancers between 1970 and 2020.⁷

For employers looking to strike the balance between quality care and cost management, the Cancer Support Program from UnitedHealthcare may be worth consideration. The Cancer Support Program provides specialized care management to help address the major components of cancer care that impact cost, quality and outcomes.

This approach coordinates every stage of an individual's cancer journey — from diagnosis and treatment through medication management, survivorship and end-of-life care. By connecting patients with experienced oncology nurses who provide individualized coaching and education, the program helps employees follow evidence-based treatment plans. This coordinated support can reduce costs for both employers and employees and help improve outcomes as well.

But when a member is diagnosed with cancer, UnitedHealthcare is there to help support them through their journey while helping them manage costs. For example, through Cancer Resource Services, members have access to 40 top-performing Oncology Centers of Excellence (COEs) nationwide,⁹ as well as a travel and lodging benefit to help with associated costs.

The Cancer Guidance Program helps drive better decisions through evidence-based utilization management and analytics that ensure access to quality care and reduce costs. This program recommends patient-specific treatment plans for more than 70 types of cancer and can shorten the prior authorization process up to 52% through an auto-decisioning process, with an ultimately 97% approval rate.¹⁰

These programs are designed to help cancer patients get care when they need it — and to relieve some of the emotional and financial burden that can come at the onset of a diagnosis and throughout treatment.