The median fundraising goal was $10,000 while the median donation level was $2,125 for cancer patients seeking help with medical expenses, a study found.
Cancer takes a huge emotional toll on patients, but a new study finds the financial costs are also so high that many are resorting to crowdfunding to help pay their medical bills and related costs.
"We wanted to gauge how crowdfunding is being used to support oncology care needs, including the financial effect of insurance," he explained.
The researchers analyzed more than 1,000 fundraising campaigns for U.S. cancer patients listed on GoFundMe.com on Oct. 7, 2018.
The patients had the 20 most common cancers, including breast cancer, leukemia, lung, brain, colon and pancreatic cancer.
It's possible that the regionalization of oncologic care is improving cancer outcomes, but simultaneously it increases the financial burden on patients," Cohen said.
Furthermore, the posting of medical information by patients and third parties on crowdfunding sites raises serious ethical, privacy and fraud concerns," he concluded. »
