Annual Out-of-Pocket Expenditures and Financial Hardship Among Cancer Survivors Aged 18–64 Years — United States, 2011–2016 | MMWR

Annual Out-of-Pocket Expenditures and Financial Hardship Among Cancer Survivors Aged 18–64 Years — United States, 2011–2016 | MMWR

New Study Looks Into Financial Hardship of Cancer Survivors

Currently in the United States, an estimated 16.9 million people are living after receiving a cancer diagnosis. A new study recently published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), looks at out-of-pocket medical costs and financial hardship among cancer survivors in the United States. Based on data from the 2011-2016 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), cancer survivors aged 18-64 years had higher annual out-of-pocket medical costs than people without a cancer history. Approximately 25% of cancer survivors reported problems paying medical bills, and many with private insurance coverage reported borrowing money, being unable to cover their share of medical care costs, going into debt, or filing for bankruptcy. CDC’s Dr. Donatus Ekwueme, first author on the report, discussed these findings during an interview with CNN Health, which also feature the report.