A breast cancer diagnosis for Black women causes more than just physical, mental, and emotional anguish; it also leaves them financially burdened.
According to BreastCancer.org, there is a chance that roughly one in eight women nationwide (13%) will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer during their lifetime. It is expected that in 2025, breast cancer will be the most common cancer for American women. For Black women, the risk is even more alarming because while they are slightly less likely to be diagnosed than white women, they are 42% more likely to die from the disease—underscoring the deep racial disparities in care and outcomes.
Financial strain and dangerous delays in breast cancer care for Black women
The cost of healthcare continues to weigh disproportionately on Black women. Black Enterprise recently reported that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has found that Black women also face a disproportionate financial and emotional toll during treatment. Even with health insurance, they’re not immune to the financial strain of cancer. A mix of financial insecurity, gaps in insurance coverage and systemic barriers makes it more complex and expensive for them to access timely care.
According to The Commonwealth Fund, studies show Black women are more likely to be uninsured and face higher out-of-pocket costs while navigating health systems stacked with inequities. These factors combined end up creating both immediate and long-term disparities in health outcomes.
Black women are more likely to face delays at every stage of care, from screenings and diagnosis to treatment. Studies done by NIH show they have a higher risk of waiting two months or more for breast cancer surgery and still experience longer treatment delays, even when the stage of disease and income are the same. These gaps aren’t limited to cancer. Research finds Black women are twice as likely to face diagnostic delays overall, often linked to “medical gaslighting,” where symptoms are dismissed, according to SAGE Journals.
In reproductive health, delays in prenatal care and treatment of complications contribute to maternal deaths that are several times higher than for white women. Structural issues like fewer nearby specialists, longer travel times and poor care coordination make the problem worse.
Additionally, the structural barriers of jobs without paid leave or childcare options, plus the undeniable weight of medical bias and racism that too often leads to dismissal or delayed testing, further narrow the pathway to timely treatment. Policy gaps, from underfunded Medicaid programs to cuts in safety-net services, leave entire communities without the support they need, per the California Budget & Policy Center.
Black women face barriers beyond the doctor’s office
The reasons behind these inequities run deep. For many Black women, the hurdles start long before they walk into a doctor’s office. Poverty, unstable housing, food insecurity and unreliable transportation all pile on to make getting care harder, according to the National Women’s Law Center. Insurance doesn’t always solve the problem either because coverage often comes with high co-pays, limited networks and fewer specialists in reach, the Commonwealth Fund reports.
The fallout is devastating: Research done by BioMed Central shows Black women are more likely to face later-stage diagnoses, which lowers survival rates and drives up the cost of treatment. Those delays ripple outward, leading to more aggressive illness, higher medical debt, and heavier burdens on families. The impact isn’t just medical, it’s economic and generational. Every setback reinforces a cycle of inequity and mistrust in a healthcare system that has already failed Black women far too often.
