Clinical Scorecard: Financial Impact of Cancer Treatment on Privately Insured Individuals in Lebanon: A Seven-Year Retrospective Cohort Study (2018–2024)
At a Glance
Category
Detail
Condition
Cancer treatment expenditures
Key Mechanisms
Analysis of insurance claims data to assess financial burden and treatment patterns
Target Population
Privately insured individuals in Lebanon
Care Setting
Private insurance managed by third-party administrators
Key Highlights
Total expenditure on cancer care reached USD 239.9 million over seven years.
Breast cancer was the leading diagnosis, accounting for 19.7% of cases.
Annual spending increased from USD 35.7 million in 2018 to USD 48.9 million in 2024.
Cancer medicines comprised the largest expenditure category at 37.8% of total spend.
The high-cost cohort (1.7% of patients) generated 23.0% of total spend.
Guideline-Based Recommendations
Diagnosis
Utilize ICD-10 cancer diagnosis codes for accurate claims processing.
Management
Focus on cost-effective treatment modalities, particularly in high-cost cohorts.
Monitoring & Follow-up
Track annual expenditure trends and patient demographics for better resource allocation.
Risks
High out-of-pocket costs may lead to catastrophic financial loss for patients.
Patient & Prescribing Data
16,617 unique cancer patients analyzed from 2018 to 2024.
Surgery was the most frequently used treatment modality (29.3%).
Clinical Best Practices
Implement actuarial models to develop sustainable oncology-specific benefit structures.
Enhance data collection on treatment patterns and expenditures for better health system planning.
