CDC finds workers with paid sick days are more likely to get tests that detect cancer early.
Using data from 2008 when 38% of the U.S. working population did not have access to a single paid sick day (43 million workers), researchers examined whether access to paid sick days was associated with a higher likelihood of cancer screenings. After controlling for work, personal and health characteristics (including access to and type of health insurance), researchers found mammograms, pap tests and endoscopys occurred at a higher rate among workers with paid sick days. From the report:
The percentage of workers who underwent mammography, Pap test, endoscopy at recommended intervals, had seen a doctor during the prior 12 months or had at least one visit to a health care provider during the prior 12 months was significantly higher among those with paid sick leave as compared with those without sick leave.
