Published by the Jacksonville group, this study set to determine factors that influence insurance approval for breast cancer patients for whom adjuvant proton therapy (PT) is recommended. Among 131 insured patients, 96 patients (73%) had policies that "covered" PT, it was found that insurance "coverage" for PT was not associated with final approval nor was lack of "coverage" associated with denial.

Insurance approval was obtained for 93/96 patients (97%) with insurance that covered PT versus 23/35 patients (66%) whose insurance did not cover PT. This study found that the only parameter that significantly influenced approval for treatment with PT was insurance type combined with potential coverage with ultimate approval rates ranging from 54% to 100%.