Skip to main content

Estimated U.S. Annual Cost of Initial Cancer Screening $43 Billion in 2021

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Aug 6, 2024.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Aug. 5, 2024 -- In 2021, the estimated total health care costs for initial cancer screening were $43 billion in the United States, according to a study published online Aug. 6 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Michael T. Halpern, M.D., Ph.D., from the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues estimated the annual cost of initial cancer screening in the United States in 2021 using national health care survey and cost resources data.

The researchers found that in 2021, total health care costs for initial cancer screenings were estimated at $43 billion in the United States. Of the costs, about 88.3, 8.5, and 3.2 percent were attributed to private insurance; Medicare; and Medicaid, other government programs, and uninsured persons, respectively. Colorectal cancer screening represented about 64 percent of the total cost; screening colonoscopy represented more than half of the total (55 percent). Major drivers of the total estimated costs of screening were facility costs (amounts paid to the facilities where testing occurred).

"This study provides previously unavailable estimates for the annual medical care cost of cancer screening in the United States," the authors write. "Identification of these costs and the drivers for cancer screening costs are critical to help inform policy and develop programmatic priorities, particularly for enhancing access to recommended cancer screening services."

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Pulmonary Embolism More Common in Children Than Previously Thought

THURSDAY, May 22, 2025 -- Pulmonary embolism (PE) is more common in children than previously thought, according to a study presented at the American Thoracic Society 2025...

Half of Youth-Serving Clinicians Screen for Substance Use Disorder at Every Well Visit

THURSDAY, May 22, 2025 -- Just over half of youth-serving clinicians report that they routinely screen adolescents for substance use disorders (SUDs) at every well visit...

Many Heart Failure Patients Do Not See a Cardiologist Annually

THURSDAY, May 22, 2025 -- About 40 percent of patients with heart failure diagnosis do not see a cardiologist annually, according to a study published online May 18 in the...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.