Medicaid Expansion Increases Guideline-Concordant Treatment for Breast Cancer
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Oct. 25, 2024 -- Expanding Medicaid is associated with an increase in receipt of guideline-concordant treatment among nonelderly women newly diagnosed with hormone receptor (HR)-negative, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer, according to a study published online Oct. 23 in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
Kewei Sylvia Shi, M.P.H., from the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, and colleagues examined the association between Medicaid expansion and receipt of guideline-concordant treatment, time to treatment initiation, and survival among 31,401 women aged 18 to 62 years newly diagnosed with HR-negative, HER2-positive breast cancer. Outcome changes following Medicaid expansion were compared in expansion versus nonexpansion states in a difference-in-differences analytic approach.
The researchers observed an increase of 0.58 percentage points in receipt of guideline-concordant treatment overall in association with Medicaid expansion, as well as a 2.43-percentage point increase in initiating guideline-concordant treatment <60 days after diagnosis and a 1.17 percentage point increase in the two-year survival rate. Patients with stage III disease had the most prominent increase in two-year survival associated with Medicaid expansion (difference-in-differences, 3.81).
"Expanding insurance coverage to individuals with cancer can allow them to benefit from access to life-saving treatments," the authors write.
Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted October 2024
Read this next
Artificial Intelligence Flags Interval Breast Cancers Visible at Screening
FRIDAY, May 23, 2025 -- Artificial intelligence (AI) more often flags and accurately localizes interval breast cancers (IBCs) that are visible at screening than true interval or...
Abbreviated Breast MRI Has High Diagnostic Accuracy for Dense Breasts
THURSDAY, May 22, 2025 -- For women with extremely dense breasts who are negative for cancer at mammography, abbreviated breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for first-round...
Some Triple Negative Breast Cancers Might Be Avoided by Longer Breastfeeding
THURSDAY, May 15, 2025 -- Shorter breastfeeding duration and younger age at first birth are known risk factors for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and vary by race, according...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.