New Findings from University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Describe Advances in Cancer (Retirement Behavior of Cancer Survivors: Role of Health Insurance): Cancer

2024 NOV 05 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Fresh data on Cancer are presented in a new report. According to news reporting from Little Rock, Arkansas, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “Workers who rely on employment for health insurance may be unable to reduce work during and following treatment for a serious health condition, potentially harming their health in retirement. In this study, we examine the influence of retiree and employment-contingent insurance on the retirement and health of workers diagnosed with cancer.”

Financial support for this research came from NIH National Cancer Institute (NCI).

The news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, “This longitudinal cohort study used 2000-2018 Health and Retirement Study data to examine changes in employment, weekly hours worked, and health status measures following a cancer diagnosis. We selected respondents who reported a new cancer diagnosis (n = 354) and a matched, non-cancer sample (n = 1770), restricting both samples to those employed and younger than age 63. Following a cancer diagnosis, women with retiree health insurance were 18.6 percentage points less likely to work (95% CI: - 36.3 to - 1.0; p< 0.05) relative to women with employer health insurance, but no retiree insurance. Employed women with cancer but without employment-contingent health insurance increased weekly hours worked by 34% relative to similar non-cancer controls. Men and women with a cancer diagnosis and without employment-contingent health or retiree insurance were also less likely to work (p < 0.05). Among those who stopped working, respondents with cancer and employment-contingent health insurance reported better health status than respondents without employment-contingent health insurance. Cancer survivors with employer and retiree health insurance leave the workforce earlier and report better health status when they stop working than those without equivalent insurance.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Implications for cancer survivors Policies to support health insurance outside of employment may allow cancer survivors to retire earlier and may have positive health benefits.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Retirement Behavior of Cancer Survivors: Role of Health Insurance. Journal of Cancer Survivorship, 2024;18(2):499-508. Journal of Cancer Survivorship can be contacted at: Springer, One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, Ny, United States. (Springer - www.springer.com; Journal of Cancer Survivorship - http://www.springerlink.com/content/1932-2259/)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Kelsey M. Owsley, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Dept. of Health Policy and Management, Fay W Boozman College of Public Health, 4301 West Markham St, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-022-01248-2. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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