Debt, Bankruptcy, and Credit Scores After Cancer Diagnosis

How do financial outcomes (debt, debt in collections, credit scores, and bankruptcy) change over time after cancer diagnosis compared with a control population?In a matched difference-in-differences analysis of 74 146 individuals with a cancer diagnosis and 74 146 control individuals in Massachusetts, it was found that medical debt in collections worsens for years after cancer diagnosis. Total debt, total debt in collections, credit scores, and bankruptcy rates did not differ after cancer diagnosis.There is evidence of mild adverse financial outcomes that persist for years after cancer diagnosis despite high rates of insurance coverage in Massachusetts.

Corresponding Author: Benjamin C. James, MD, MS, Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, General Surgery Residency Program, 185 Pilgrim Rd, Palmer 605, Boston, MA 02115 (bjames1@bidmc.harvard.edu).

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