LAUSR

3Background: Financial hardship from cancer is often attributed to high costs of care, but the relationship of out-of-pocket (OOP) medical burden to racial disparities seen in financially distressed cancer patients is underexplored. Using the Health and Retirement Study, a national longitudinal survey of U.S. households from 1992-2012, we examined the effect of a cancer diagnosis on financial hardship and OOP medical spending among black and white adults age-eligible for Medicare insurance. Methods: Analyses were restricted to adults 65 years or older to reduce heterogeneity in employment and insurance. Financial hardship was defined as new financial insolvency, > 50% decline in net worth, acquisition of debt, or high medical burden (OOP medical spending > 20% of income). The proportions of black and white cancer patients reporting financial hardship, as well as OOP medical spending, household debt, income, net worth, and insurance status by racial group were determined. Statistical comparisons using a t-...