Cancer care limited

Many people signing up for health care coverage through Obamacare won’t have access to the top cancer centers in the U.S., according to an Associated Press survey.

Of the 19 nationally recognized comprehensive cancer centers contacted in the survey, only four said patients have access through all of the insurance companies in their states’ exchanges.

Prior to implementation of the Affordable Care Act, a cancer diagnosis could effectively make an individual uninsurable. Now that insurance companies can’t turn patients with existing health problems away or charge them more—or institute lifetime dollar limits on policies—insurers have set up narrow networks of hospitals and doctors in order to keep premiums low. An insurer can further cut costs and minimize risk by not including top cancer centers.