Access to best-in-class cancer care is now a benefit for John Hancock employees

A cancer diagnosis can be earth-shattering, and for many individuals living with cancer while balancing their role in the workforce, the physical and mental challenges of treatment are overwhelming.

Dealing with a diagnosis is the reality for many Americans. Data from Johns Hopkins in September 2017 found that for every 100 employees in the workforce, 5% will have a history of cancer and 27% will be in treatment for cancer. The same study found employers lose out on $139 billion associated with decreased productivity and lost work time for cancer treatment or cancer-related caregiving.

With the American Cancer Society estimating 1.9 million new cancer cases in 2022 alone, many workers may find themselves needing support from their employers in the wake of a diagnosis. John Hancock is supporting their own team through a partnership with Access Hope, an employee benefit that connects people in treatment for cancer with specialists at National Cancer Institutes, regardless of geographic barriers.

“Cancer is a massive societal and health challenge that we still haven’t cracked,” says Julie Law, John Hancock’s global head of talent management. “We know that it impacts so many people, and our colleagues are no different.”

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Law says that incorporating Access Hope into John Hancock’s benefits package was a no-brainer amid a pandemic that has led many to push off potentially life-saving cancer scans — herself included.

“I get my skin checked annually,” Law says. “It's really important because I’m fair by nature. And I had been putting it off because of COVID.”

Data from Epic shows that, as of this year, cervical cancer screenings are down 10% from the weekly average in the three years before the pandemic. Breast cancer and colon cancer screenings are also down 2.7% and 3.4% respectively from that baseline.

“Knowing that people have put those scans off, we saw an opportunity to support not only our employees that are navigating cancer, but their families as well,” Law says.

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The partnership with Access Hope offers employees the expertise of providers at National Cancer Institutes, without the need to travel hundreds of miles from where they live and work in some cases. One NIH-funded longitudinal study in 2015 found that the 5-year overall survival rate was higher among adult-onset cancer patients treated at National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Care Centers (NCICCCs), compared to non-NCICCC facilities. This makes Access Hope a potentially vital tool in the arsenal for cancer patients across the U.S.

“City of Hope doctors have seen that cancer outcomes are better at these institutes than they are at local hospitals,” Law says. “Access Hope partners with the patient's local oncologist to review the treatment plan and make sure it’s taking advantage of the latest cancer innovations.”

Access Hope also offers a robust support system for patients, their family members, and other caregivers, with a 24/7 hotline staffed by nurses who can answer questions.

“Cancer care is about the entire experience, and there are a lot of mental health struggles that come after a diagnosis,” says Law, highlighting women in their reproductive years as one example. “For women in this phase, it's incredibly challenging. Access Hope supports them throughout that entire life cycle with counseling services and assistance navigating the preservation of fertility.”

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For John Hancock, providing this cancer benefit is about meeting employees where they are to create a supportive culture, Law says, but the returns are also tangible. “We know that when our employees are well, they're higher performing and our customers are also happier. So we're more profitable when our colleagues are healthy.”

Law says that the partnership with Access Hope is one more way John Hancock strives to be proactive about employee health.

“If we don't support our people, whatever their wellness needs may be, they can’t be the best colleagues they can be,” says Law. “We really want to make sure that we support them professionally and personally, however we can.”