Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And here at Brokers Alliance, we believe in raising awareness around this disease, which indirectly or directly affects virtually every American at some point. Continue reading for harrowing statistics, tips for early detection, and information on the intersection of life insurance coverage and breast cancer treatment.

Breast Cancer Statistics

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, one in every eight women born today will suffer from breast cancer in her lifetime. By the end of this year, some 250,000 women will have been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016. This represents 15% of all cancer cases diagnosed this year. Most common in middle-aged and elderly females, breast cancer afflicts more people every year than any other type of cancer. A combination of increasing awareness and more successful treatment methods has seen the five-year survival rate for women diagnosed with breast cancer rise to 90%.

Facts About Breast Cancer

While there is no way to prevent breast cancer, there are ways to reduce the risk and reliable screening methods to be mindful of, early detection is the next best thing to prevention. According to the American Cancer Society’s guidelines, women between the ages of 45 and 54 should receive mammograms every year. Many medical professionals advise all women to start this practice at 40. If you have dense breasts or a family history of breast cancer, your doctor may recommend starting even earlier.

Breast Cancer and Life Insurance

Unfortunately, life insurance is harder and more expensive to obtain if you have breast cancer than if you’re a healthy adult. Once the worst of the battle is over, life insurance products again become easier to purchase. If you’re hoping to get the best coverage you can, complete a comprehensive course of treatment, attend follow-up visits, and follow doctors’ advice on habits you should and should not take up following your treatment.

Making Breast Cancer Awareness Month Count

From tiny pink ribbons attached to shirts to large-scale walks and other events, signs of breast cancer awareness are everywhere during October. Do your part by encouraging adult women close to you to get regular mammograms and reassuring anyone you know who is struggling with breast cancer that it is not a struggle they must endure alone.

Death rates from breast cancer have been on the decline since 1989. Let’s continue to raise awareness, and bring these rates down even further. If you’re an independent broker who is seeking to connect breast cancer patients with life insurance coverage that works for them, call Brokers Alliance at (800) 290-7226. We can connect you to an array of term life, whole life, and universal life insurance products.