Housing Assistance Helps Renters With Cancer History

THURSDAY, Sept. 4, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Receipt of housing assistance is associated with a lower risk for medical financial hardship among adult renters with a history of cancer, according to a research letter published online Aug. 27 in JAMA Network Open.

Katherine L. Chen, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and colleagues examined the association between housing assistance and medical financial hardship among renters with a history of cancer. The analysis included 2,370 adult renters with a history of cancer participating in the National Health Interview Survey (2019 to 2023).

The researchers found that 19.7 percent reported receiving housing assistance and 59.0 percent reported medical financial hardship. Disproportionately, housing assistance recipients were from minoritized racial and ethnic groups, had low income, were unemployed, and were in worse health. However, respondents with housing assistance showed a 6.7-percentage point lower adjusted probability of medical financial hardship compared with those without assistance, including less difficulty paying medical bills and marginally less worry about unexpected bills. There was no difference in missed or delayed care due to cost.

“Given the known ties between cancer, financial hardship, quality of life, and health outcomes, expanding housing assistance could be an effective strategy to mitigate financial hardship and improve well-being among cancer survivors,” senior author Tina Shih, Ph.D., also from UCLA, said in a statement.

One author reported ties to relevant organizations.

Abstract/Full Text