Better access, better outcomes
A panel of patients and caregivers offered personal stories and insights illustrating the important ties between access and outcomes.
Lori Durham, of Bremerton, Washington, diagnosed and treated for both breast and ovarian cancers, said when she discovered she had cancer, she also learned she didn’t have insurance — at least not a policy that was accepted by all of her providers.
“There were people out there who wouldn’t take it,” she said. “There were some things I really had to fight for. I had to jump through a lot of extra hoops. But I knew what to do and how to jump through those hoops. There are so many people who don’t have a clue what to do. They get a ‘No,’ and that’s it.”
Leticia Chavez, of Sunnyside, who acted as caregiver during her mother’s…