Cancer patients' unfortunate concern It's no secret that medical cost inflation has steadily risen for the past five decades, although that increase has arguably slowedover the last couple years. Researchers discovered that "financial toxicity," their term to describe the overwhelming cost of paying for cancer treatments , can impact patients from all income and employment statuses. Over considerable time, this could equate to more money in consumers' pockets and the ability to purchase higher-quality coverage, such as a gold or platinum plan, that would result in relatively smaller out-of-pocket costs.