Everything You Need To Know About Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is undoubtedly the most important month of the year as it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death among women and it is very important to make people aware of it. Those who are knowledgeable of breast cancer should take necessary steps to detect the disease in its early stages. Breast Cancer Awareness Month exactly does the needful offering information and support to those affected by breast cancer and helps raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure.

What Is Breast Cancer?

Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that starts in the cells of the breast. It is a group of cancer cells that grow into surrounding tissues or spread to distant areas of the body. It is most commonly seen in women, but there is a chance men might get it too.

Facts About Breast Cancer

While skin cancer is the first common kind of cancer in women, breast cancer is the second.
About 1 in 8 women born today in the U.S. will get breast cancer at some point in their lives.
Approximately 231,340 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. each year.
Breast cancer patients with employer-sponsored health insurance spend $6,553 out-of-pocket.

How To Detect Breast Cancer In Women?

The best way to prevent and cure breast cancer is early detection. The screening exams for breast cancer help to find cancer even before they start to cause symptoms like a lump that can be felt. So always go for screening exams which is one of the reasons millions of women in the United States are surviving breast cancer.

• For women aged 40 and older, a mammogram every year is a must and should be continued for as long as they are in good health.
• For women in their 20's and 30's, clinical breast exam (CBE) should be a part of periodic health exam by a health professional preferably every 3 years.
• For women starting in their 20's, breast self-exam (BSE) is the best option.

Why Should You Consider Insurance Policies?

It is a known fact that insurance policies help ease worries about the financial cost of breast cancer if it were to occur. A cancer insurance policy can be used not only for treatment expenses not covered by major medical insurance, but also for extra child care that may be needed, transportation to and from the doctor or treatments, and even everyday living expenses, such as mortgage payments or groceries. If you or a family member does end up being diagnosed with breast cancer, or any cancer, you want to be able to focus on recovery and not finances, a cancer insurance policy can help you do just that.

Aflac's One Day PaySM Initiative

Aflac's recently introduced One Day PaySM initiative allows Aflac to process, approve and pay eligible claims in just a day, you can have the cash you need in hand faster than ever before.
Aflac's cash benefits can help policyholders pay the out-of-pocket costs associated with costly cancer treatments.
To see how Aflac's cancer insurance policy helped policyholder Celia through her breast cancer journey, you can watch this video.

Aflac Supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Month

For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Aflac will be partnering with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) again for its second annual "This Duck Wears Pink" campaign. Aflac is selling a variety of campaign-related merchandise including the plush duck, hats, and a breast cancer ribbon pin, with all the net proceeds going to the AACR for the specific purpose of funding research aimed at finding a cure for breast cancer. Aflac supports the groundbreaking work of the AACR – the first and largest cancer research organization in the world with a membership of more than 35,000 professionals residing in 101 countries working on the front lines of the effort to eradicate cancer. The AACR backs every aspect of high-quality, innovative cancer research. You can donate and shop for merchandise here.

It's fall time and most companies in U.S. have open enrollment where you can choose the best health insurance policies such as Aflac's cancer insurance policy to meet your financial and health care needs. Get healthy, be healthy and stay healthy!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.