More than half (53 percent) of the country's cancer patients and survivors are concerned policy changes that might come out of Washington, D.C. could limit their access to health care, according to a Harris Poll survey of 902 adults, commissioned by the nonprofit Cancer and Careers.

The online survey, conducted by Harris Poll, also found 41 percent of employed patients and survivors indicate health insurance is one of the primary reasons they want to work.

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"For the last five years we've commissioned annual surveys to better understand the changing experiences and needs of cancer patients and survivors, so we can be at the forefront of helping them succeed in the workplace," says the nonprofit's Chief Mission Officer Rebecca Nellis.

The No. 1 reason why patients and survivors want to work is because they need to financially, with 63 percent of respondents saying that, and the No. 2 reason (51 percent) is they feel well enough to keep working.

It's all about viewing employment as an essential coping mechanism, the nonprofit says.

Two-thirds (65 percent) of the respondents say working through treatment helps or has helped them cope. Working helps 63 percent of the respondents feel "normal" and 56 percent say it helps them feel productive, while 54 percent say working provides them with a routine and 45 percent say it keeps their mind off their cancer.

Most (89 percent) of the respondents are aware that employers cannot discriminate against them due to their cancer diagnosis, but more than one in five (22 percent) believe an employer can require them to disclose their diagnosis before hiring them.

Moreover, more than a third (39 percent) of unemployed respondents feel that a prospective employer would treat them differently if they disclosed their cancer diagnosis, and 36 percent believe disclosing would negatively affect their chances of getting hired.

Additional survey highlights include:

  • 71 percent of employed patients and survivors feel their employer supports their desire to work, and 69 percent feel their co-workers understand the challenges of balancing work and cancer.

  • 42 percent of employed patients and survivors feel they need to stay at their current workplace because they need health insurance.

  • 35 percent of employed patients and survivors are afraid to change their work status because it would limit their health insurance options.

  • 24 percent of employed patients and survivors feel like cancer has negatively affected their long-term goals. In 2012, only 12 percent of employed patients and survivors surveyed said that cancer has kept them from reaching their true potential in their work and personal life.

  • 35 percent of unemployed patients and survivors wish there were a place to go for advice about how to find and maintain a job.

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Katie Kuehner-Hebert

Katie Kuehner-Hebert is a freelance writer based in Running Springs, Calif. She has more than three decades of journalism experience, with particular expertise in employee benefits and other human resource topics.