Dr. Grafova has conducted a study examining the relationship between household income, county income inequality, and financial hardship among cancer survivors in New Jersey. The research surveyed 864 cancer survivors identified through the New Jersey State Cancer Registry from August 2018 to January 2022. The study used the Gini index to measure local area income inequality at the county level.
The findings indicate that cancer survivors with household incomes between $50,000 and $89,999 face a significantly higher risk of financial difficulties compared to those with incomes of $90,000 or more. These middle-income individuals were more likely to be unable to cover their share of cancer-related medical costs (AME = .104, p = .001) and forego care due to cost within the past year, including dental (AME = .124, p
