  | ACA is linked to fewer cancer deathsCancer deaths have dropped more in states that expanded Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act than in states that did not, new research reveals. The report is the first evidence tying cancer survival to the health care change, which began in 2014, said one study leader, Dr. Anna Lee of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. “For a policy to have this amount of impact in a short amount of years” is remarkable, because cancer often takes a long time to develop and prove fatal, she said. |
The report is the first evidence tying cancer survival to the health care change, which began in 2014, said one study leader, Dr. Anna Lee of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
“For a policy to have this amount of impact in a short amount of years” is remarkable, because cancer often takes a long time to develop and prove fatal, she said.
The law let states expand Medicaid eligibility and offer subsidies to help people buy health insurance. Twenty-seven states and Washington, D.C., did that, and 20 million Americans gained coverage .
Researchers used national health statistics on cancer deaths to track trends before and after the law. They looked only at deaths in people younger than 65, who stood to benefit because those older were already covered by Medicare.
The cancer death rate fell throughout the United States from 1999 to 2017 in that age group, but more in states that expanded Medicaid — 29% versus 25% in states that did not. Researchers specifically compared death rates from 2011 to 2013, before the health care change, to 2015 to 2017, after it. In states that expanded coverage, the change meant 785 fewer cancer deaths in 2017. Another 589 deaths could have been prevented that year if all states had expanded Medicaid, researchers estimated.
Having health insurance allows quicker treatment after diagnosis and access to more treatment options so patients can get the best care available, which can improve survival odds, Lee said. Insured people also may have more opportunities for screening to detect cancers at a stage when they’re most treatable.
“For a policy to have this amount of impact in a short amount of years” is remarkable, because cancer often takes a long time to develop and prove fatal, she said.
The law let states expand Medicaid eligibility and offer subsidies to help people buy health insurance. Twenty-seven states and Washington, D.C., did that, and 20 million Americans gained coverage .
Researchers used national health statistics on cancer deaths to track trends before and after the law. They looked only at deaths in people younger than 65, who stood to benefit because those older were already covered by Medicare.
The cancer death rate fell throughout the United States from 1999 to 2017 in that age group, but more in states that expanded Medicaid — 29% versus 25% in states that did not. Researchers specifically compared death rates from 2011 to 2013, before the health care change, to 2015 to 2017, after it. In states that expanded coverage, the change meant 785 fewer cancer deaths in 2017. Another 589 deaths could have been prevented that year if all states had expanded Medicaid, researchers estimated.
Having health insurance allows quicker treatment after diagnosis and access to more treatment options so patients can get the best care available, which can improve survival odds, Lee said. Insured people also may have more opportunities for screening to detect cancers at a stage when they’re most treatable.
RSS Feed