Association of Medicaid expansion with treatment receipt, delays in treatment initiation, and survival among young adult women with breast cancer.

Authors

null

Xuesong Han

American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA

Xuesong Han , Kewei Sylvia Shi , Kathryn Jean Ruddy , Jingxuan Zhao , Ann C. Mertens , Robin Yabroff , Sharon M. Castellino , Xu Ji

Organizations

American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA

Research Funding

U.S. National Institutes of Health
U.S. National Institutes of Health

Background: Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act has been shown to increase insurance coverage and early-stage cancer diagnoses for young adults (YAs), the age group with the highest uninsured rate. We examined whether Medicaid expansion was associated with increased receipt of timely, guideline-concordant treatment and survival among YA women newly diagnosed with breast cancer, the most common YA cancer diagnosis. Methods: Using the National Cancer Database, we identified 51,675 women aged 18-39 years who were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011-2018. We applied the difference-in-differences (DD) method to estimate outcome changes pre vs. post Medicaid expansion, in expansion- vs. non-expansion states. Linear probability models estimated associations of Medicaid expansion with receipt of guideline-concordant treatment – including any endocrine therapy among women with ER-positive or PR-positive breast cancer, and any chemotherapy or targeted therapy among women with ER-negative and PR-negative breast cancer – and initiation of guideline-concordant treatment (surgery, chemotherapy, or targeted therapy for stage I-III diagnoses, and systemic therapy for stage IV diagnoses) <60 days after diagnosis. Flexible parametric survival models were used to estimate 2-year overall survival. DD models also adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, rurality, zip code-level income, comorbidity, and diagnosis year, with standard errors clustered at the state level. Analyses were stratified by stage at diagnosis (stage I-III vs. IV). Results: Of the subset of women with stage I-III ER-positive or PR-positive breast cancer, the percentage receiving endocrine therapy increased in expansion states (85.20% pre-expansion to 86.46% post-expansion), but decreased in non-expansion states (84.32% to 82.79%), resulting in a net increase of 2.42 percentage points (ppt; 95% CI = 0.56 to 4.28) associated with Medicaid expansion in the adjusted DD model. Among all women with stage I-III breast cancer, the percentage with treatment initiation <60 days after diagnosis decreased less in expansion states (84.10% pre-expansion to 82.36% post-expansion) than in non-expansion states (86.95% to 83.98%), resulting in a net reduction of 1.61 ppt (95% CI = 0.05 to 3.18) in treatment delays associated with Medicaid expansion. Notably, the 2-year overall survival increased in expansion states (96.84% pre-expansion to 96.99% post-expansion), but decreased in non-expansion states (97.24% to 96.30%), resulting in a net survival increase of 1.00 ppt (95% CI = 0.21 to 1.79) associated with Medicaid expansion. Conclusions: Among YA women with stage I-III breast cancer, Medicaid expansion was associated with increased receipt of guideline-concordant treatment, reduced delays in treatment initiation, and improved 2-year survival.

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Abstract Details

Meeting

2023 ASCO Annual Meeting

Session Type

Poster Discussion Session

Session Title

Care Delivery and Regulatory Policy

Track

Care Delivery and Quality Care

Sub Track

Health and Regulatory Policy

Citation

J Clin Oncol 41, 2023 (suppl 16; abstr 1509)

DOI

10.1200/JCO.2023.41.16_suppl.1509

Abstract #

1509

Poster Bd #

103

Abstract Disclosures

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