Key result
Limited insurance coverage for exercise oncology drives access inequities for US cancer patients.
Why the study?
In the United States, exercise oncology interventions are only covered by third-party payers within cancer rehabilitation settings, leaving access highly inequitable without expanded coverage.
Expanding third-party coverage for exercise oncology interventions is necessary to prevent highly inequitable access.
Coverage limitations may perpetuate inequities in exercise oncology access; leaves open policy research on expanded reimbursement effects.
The evidence to support the benefits of exercise for people living with and beyond cancer is robust. Still, exercise oncology interventions in the United States are only eligible for coverage by third-party payers within the restrictions of cancer rehabilitation settings. Without expanded coverage, access will remain highly inequitable, tending toward the most well-resourced. This article describes the pathway to third-party coverage for 3 programs that address a chronic disease and utilize exercise professionals: the Diabetes Prevention Program, Supervised Exercise Training for Peripheral Artery Disease, and Cancer Rehabilitation. Lessons learned will be applied toward expanding third-party coverage for exercise oncology programming.
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Kennedy et al. (2023) studied this question. Current limitations in insurance coverage for exercise oncology restrict access, leading to inequities for cancer patients in the United States.
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