Childhood-Cancer Survivors Struggle To Find Employment, Group Health Insurance

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Article Date: 12 Dec 2007 - 8:00 PDT

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The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday examined how the "transition into the workplace can be rocky for many childhood-cancer survivors -- especially those who have been treated with high doses of radiation and chemotherapy" because the "resulting cognitive and physical impairments can make it hard to keep a job." According to the Journal, the "problem is becoming more acute as a greater number of childhood-cancer survivors enter the work force, thanks to improvements in treatments over the past few decades." Childhood-cancer survivors "face the added obstacle of trying to get and keep that all-important first job -- for many people the first chance to get employer-provided health insurance -- and establish a career," the Journal reports.

Clinics that specialize in treating adult cancer survivors encourage patients to seek jobs at larger companies, which are more likely to offer group health plans. Federal law prohibits employers that offer group plans from denying coverage to an employee based on health status. Employers also are legally barred from asking about a job applicant's medical history but may ask questions about their ability to complete tasks. Childhood-cancer survivors might be afraid "of showing that they have a condition that would limit their work," Kevin Oeffinger, director of the Program for Adult Survivors of Pediatric Cancer at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, said (Athavaley, Wall Street Journal, 12/11).

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