The Financial Toxicity of Illness

A white paper by Family Reach, a national nonprofit dedicated to alleviating the financial burden of cancer, and Xcenda, a consulting group, draws on earlier studies to explain that “Adult patients are 2.65 times more likely to file for bankruptcy than patients of a similar age without cancer. Patients who filed for bankruptcy had a 79 percent greater risk of early mortality than patients who did not.” In other words, cancer treatment escalates the possibility of penury, and treatment-produced fiscal catastrophes are tied to cancer deaths.

For the full article, visit The New York Times.