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Primm KM, Zhao H, Adjei NN, Sun CC, Haas A, Meyer LA, Chang S. Effect of Medicaid expansion on cancer treatment and survival among Medicaid beneficiaries and the uninsured. Cancer Med 2024; 13:e7461. [PMID: 38970338 PMCID: PMC11226780 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.7461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 06/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Affordable Care Act expanded Medicaid coverage for people with low income in the United States. Expanded insurance coverage could promote more timely access to cancer treatment, which could improve overall survival (OS), yet the long-term effects of Medicaid expansion (ME) remain unknown. We evaluated whether ME was associated with improved timely treatment initiation (TTI) and 3-year OS among patients with breast, cervical, colon, and lung cancers who were affected by the policy. METHODS Medicaid-insured or uninsured patients aged 40-64 with stage I-III breast, cervical, colon, or non-small cell lung cancer within the National Cancer Database (NCDB). A difference-in-differences (DID) approach was used to compare changes in TTI (within 60 days) and 3-year OS between patients in ME states versus nonexpansion (NE) states before (2010-2013) and after (2015-2018) ME. Adjusted DID estimates for TTI and 3-year OS were calculated using multivariable linear regression and Cox proportional hazards regression models, respectively. RESULTS ME was associated with a relative increase in TTI within 60 days for breast (DID = 4.6; p < 0.001), cervical (DID = 5.0 p = 0.013), and colon (DID = 4.0, p = 0.008), but not lung cancer (p = 0.505). In Cox regression analysis, ME was associated with improved 3-year OS for breast (DID hazard ratio [HR] = 0.82, p = 0.009), cervical (DID-HR = 0.81, p = 0.048), and lung (DID-HR = 0.87, p = 0.003). Changes in 3-year OS for colon cancer were not statistically different between ME and NE states (DID-HR, 0.77; p = 0.075). CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that expanded insurance coverage can improve treatment and survival outcomes among low income and uninsured patients with cancer. As the debate surrounding ME continues nationwide, our findings serve as valuable insights to inform the development of policies aimed at fostering accessible and affordable healthcare for all.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin M. Primm
- Department of EpidemiologyThe University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterHoustonTexasUSA
- Department of Epidemiology and BiostatisticsThe University of California San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Hui Zhao
- Department of Health Services ResearchThe University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Naomi N. Adjei
- Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive MedicineThe University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Charlotte C. Sun
- Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive MedicineThe University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Alen Haas
- Department of Health Services ResearchThe University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Larissa A. Meyer
- Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive MedicineThe University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Shine Chang
- Department of EpidemiologyThe University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterHoustonTexasUSA
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Eom KY, Koroukian SM, Dong W, Kim U, Rose J, Albert JM, Zanotti KM, Owusu C, Cooper G, Tsui J. Accounting for Medicaid expansion and regional policy and programs to advance equity in cancer prevention in the United States. Cancer 2023; 129:3915-3927. [PMID: 37489821 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.34956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many studies compare state-level outcomes to estimate changes attributable to Medicaid expansion. However, it is imperative to conduct more granular, demographic-level analyses to inform current efforts on cancer prevention among low-income adults. Therefore, the authors compared the volume of patients with cancer and disease stage at diagnosis in Ohio, which expanded its Medicaid coverage in 2014, with those in Georgia, a nonexpansion state, by cancer site and health insurance status. METHODS The authors used state cancer registries from 2010 to 2017 to identify adults younger than 64 years who had incident female breast cancer, cervical cancer, or colorectal cancer. Multivariable Poisson regression was conducted by cancer type, health insurance, and state to examine the risk of late-stage disease, adjusting for individual-level and area-level covariates. A difference-in-differences framework was then used to estimate the differences in risks of late-stage diagnosis in Ohio versus Georgia. RESULTS In Ohio, the largest increase in all three cancer types was observed in the Medicaid group after Medicaid expansion. In addition, significantly reduced risks of late-stage disease were observed among patients with breast cancer on Medicaid in Ohio by approximately 7% and among patients with colorectal cancer on Medicaid in Ohio and Georgia after expansion by approximately 6%. Notably, the authors observed significantly reduced risks of late-stage diagnosis among all patients with colorectal cancer in Georgia after expansion. CONCLUSIONS More early stage cancers in the Medicaid-insured and/or uninsured groups after expansion suggest that the reduced cancer burden in these vulnerable population subgroups may be attributed to Medicaid expansion. Heterogeneous risks of late-stage disease by cancer type highlight the need for comprehensive evaluation frameworks, including local cancer prevention efforts and federal health policy reforms. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY This study looked at how Medicaid expansion affected cancer diagnosis and treatment in two states, Ohio and Georgia. The researchers found that, after Ohio expanded their Medicaid program, there were more patients with cancer among low-income adults on Medicaid. The study also found that, among people on Medicaid, there were lower rates of advanced cancer at the time of diagnosis for breast cancer and colon cancer in Ohio and for colon cancer in Georgia. These findings suggest that Medicaid expansion may be effective in reducing the cancer burden among low-income adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten Y Eom
- MetroHealth Population Health Research Institute, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- MetroHealth Cancer Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Siran M Koroukian
- Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Weichuan Dong
- Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Uriel Kim
- Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Johnie Rose
- Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Jeffrey M Albert
- Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Kristine M Zanotti
- Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Cynthia Owusu
- Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Gregory Cooper
- Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- University Hospital of Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Jennifer Tsui
- Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
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Chapman C, Jayasekera J, Dash C, Sheppard V, Mandelblatt J. A health equity framework to support the next generation of cancer population simulation models. J Natl Cancer Inst Monogr 2023; 2023:255-264. [PMID: 37947339 PMCID: PMC10846912 DOI: 10.1093/jncimonographs/lgad017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the past 2 decades, population simulation modeling has evolved as an effective public health tool for surveillance of cancer trends and estimation of the impact of screening and treatment strategies on incidence and mortality, including documentation of persistent cancer inequities. The goal of this research was to provide a framework to support the next generation of cancer population simulation models to identify leverage points in the cancer control continuum to accelerate achievement of equity in cancer care for minoritized populations. In our framework, systemic racism is conceptualized as the root cause of inequity and an upstream influence acting on subsequent downstream events, which ultimately exert physiological effects on cancer incidence and mortality and competing comorbidities. To date, most simulation models investigating racial inequity have used individual-level race variables. Individual-level race is a proxy for exposure to systemic racism, not a biological construct. However, single-level race variables are suboptimal proxies for the multilevel systems, policies, and practices that perpetuate inequity. We recommend that future models designed to capture relationships between systemic racism and cancer outcomes replace or extend single-level race variables with multilevel measures that capture structural, interpersonal, and internalized racism. Models should investigate actionable levers, such as changes in health care, education, and economic structures and policies to increase equity and reductions in health-care-based interpersonal racism. This integrated approach could support novel research approaches, make explicit the effects of different structures and policies, highlight data gaps in interactions between model components mirroring how factors act in the real world, inform how we collect data to model cancer equity, and generate results that could inform policy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Chapman
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, and the Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness, and Safety in the Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine and the Houston VA, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jinani Jayasekera
- Health Equity and Decision Sciences Research Laboratory, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Chiranjeev Dash
- Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Vanessa Sheppard
- Department of Health Behavior and Policy and Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Jeanne Mandelblatt
- Departments of Oncology and Medicine, Georgetown University Medical Center, Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Georgetown Lombardi Institute for Cancer and Aging Research, Washington, DC, USA
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Jia X, Zhou J, Fu Y, Ma C. Establishment of prediction models to predict survival among patients with cervical cancer based on socioeconomic factors: a retrospective cohort study based on the SEER Database. BMJ Open 2023; 13:e072556. [PMID: 37827746 PMCID: PMC10582916 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-072556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To construct and validate predictive models based on socioeconomic factors for predicting overall survival (OS) in cervical cancer and compare them with the American Joint Council on Cancer (AJCC) staging system. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS We extracted data from 5954 patients who were diagnosed with cervical cancer between 2007 and 2011 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Database. This database holds data related to cancer incidence from 18 population-based cancer registries in the USA. OUTCOME MEASURES 1-year and 5-year OS. RESULTS Of the total 5954 patients, 5820 patients had 1-year mortality and 5460 patients had 5-year mortality. Lower local education level [Hazard ratios (HR): 1.15, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04 to 1.27, p= 0.005] and being widowed (HR 1.28, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.55, p=0.009) were associated with a worse OS for patients with cervical cancer. Having insurance (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.62 to 0.90, p=0.002), earning a local median annual income of ≥US$56 270 (HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.75 to 0.92, p<0.001) and being married (HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.69 to 0.89, p<0.001) were related to better OS in patients with cervical cancer. The predictive models based on socioeconomic factors and the AJCC staging system had a favourable performance for predicting OS in cervical cancer compared with the AJCC staging system alone. CONCLUSION Our proposed predictive models exhibit superior predictive performance, which may highlight the potential clinical application of incorporating socioeconomic factors in predicting OS in cervical cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoping Jia
- Department of Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, State Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis, Prevention and Treatment of High Incidence Diseases in Central Asia, Urumqi 830011, P.R. China
| | - Jing Zhou
- Department of Gynecology, Karamay Central Hospital of Xinjiang, Karamay, Xinjiang, China
| | - Yanyan Fu
- Department of Gynecology, Karamay Central Hospital of Xinjiang, Karamay, Xinjiang, China
| | - Cailing Ma
- Department of Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, State Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis, Prevention and Treatment of High Incidence Diseases in Central Asia, Urumqi 830011, P.R. China
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Dee EC, Pierce LJ, Winkfield KM, Lam MB. In pursuit of equity in cancer care: moving beyond the Affordable Care Act. Cancer 2022; 128:3278-3283. [PMID: 35818772 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.34346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Although Medicaid Expansion under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been associated with many improvements for patients with cancer, Snyder et al. provide evidence demonstrating the persistence of racial disparities in cancer. This Editorial describes why insurance coverage alone does not ensure access to health care, highlights various manifestations of structural racism that constitute barriers to access beyond the direct costs of care, and calls for not just equality, but equity, in cancer care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward Christopher Dee
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Lori J Pierce
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Rogel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Karen M Winkfield
- Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance, Department of Radiation Oncology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Miranda B Lam
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Brigham and Women's Hospital/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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