The Financial Burden of Cancer on Families in the United States

Patrick Richard, Nilam Patel, Yuan-Chiao Lu, Regine Walker and Mustafa Younis
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Patrick Richard: Department of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
Nilam Patel: The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
Yuan-Chiao Lu: The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
Regine Walker: The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
Mustafa Younis: Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS 39217, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 7, 1-14

Abstract: This study examined the relationship between a diagnosis of cancer and the likelihood of having any out-of-pocket costs (OOPC) and medical debt, and the amounts of OOPC and medical debt, at the household level. We used the 2013 Panel Study of Income Dynamics, a continuous, representative panel survey that collects demographic, economic, and social data in the United States. The analytic sample included head of households and their spouse (if married), 18–64 years old. Two-part models were used. The first part consisted of logistic regression models and the second part consisted of generalized linear models with logarithmic link and a gamma distribution. Logistic regression results showed odds of 2.13 (CI: 1.27, 3.57, p < 0.01) for any OOPC and odds of 1.55 (CI: 0.93, 2.58, p < 0.1) for any medical debt for households in which either the head or spouse (if married) reported a diagnosis of cancer compared to those that did not report a diagnosis of cancer. Likewise, results from the second part of the model for households with a positive amount of OOPC showed an exponentiated coefficient of 1.73 (CI: 1.33, 2.25, p < 0.01) for households in which either the head or spouse (if married) reported a diagnosis of cancer compared to households without a diagnosis of cancer. This study shows that a diagnosis of cancer places a financial burden on families, particularly with all types of debt, in the United States even after controlling for differences between households with a diagnosis of cancer and those without a diagnosis of cancer.

Keywords: cancer; medical debt; out of pocket costs; panel study of income dynamics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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