Cancer and the need for paid leave from work.
Cancer treatment and recovery can be extremely disruptive to a patient’s life, including their ability to work and earn an income. Cancer patients and survivors often work fewer hours, take time off from work for extended periods, and suffer long-term job loss.
The U.S. is one of the only industrialized countries in the world that does not have national standards for paid family and medical leave. Most states do not have paid leave programs at this time, but in 2023, Minnesota passed two paid leave laws: Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) and Minnesota Paid Family and Medical Leave.
These laws will provide critical support for cancer patients, survivors, and their families by allowing them to take the time they need without risking financial distress and other long-term employment consequences.
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of cancer patients and survivors reported missing work due to their illness
74%
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report missing more than four weeks of work
69%
-
family income is reduced by more than 20% in the years following a cancer diagnosis
20%
Resources
- Minnesota Paid Family & Medical Leave Act (HF1200/SF1205)
- Survivor Views: Missed Work and Paid Leave, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (Dec. 7, 2021)
- Employment and income losses among cancer survivors: Estimates from a national longitudinal survey of American families, Cancer (Dec. 15, 2015)
- Paid Leave in the U.S., Kaiser Family Foundation
- Impact of Cancer on Employment, Journal of Clinical Oncology (Dec. 5, 2019)
