August 3, 2026 Newswires

New Findings in Managed Care Described from Creighton University School of Medicine (Barriers beyond Medicaid: A Midwest study on pancreatic surgery access in the post-Affordable Care Act era): Managed Care

NewsRx Policy and Law Daily

2026 AUG 03 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at NewsRx Policy and Law Daily -- Current study results on Managed Care have been published. According to news reporting originating in Omaha, Nebraska, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “The Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansion (ME) has improved access to cancer surgery in urban states. However, its impact in the Midwest, home to a large rural population, remains understudied.”

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from the Creighton University School of Medicine, “Pancreatic surgery requires access to high-volume hospitals (HVH), often found in urban areas. This study examined the effect of ME on pancreatic surgery in the Midwest. Data from State Inpatient Databases (2010-2022) of 9 Midwest states that were expansion or non/late-expansion states from Medicaid-eligible patients who underwent pancreatectomy for neoplasm were included. Interrupted time-series models were estimated for pancreatic surgery rates per 100,000 people across the pre-expansion (2010-2013) and post-expansion (2014-2022) periods, stratified by expansion status, and were evaluated separately by payer, rurality, and HVH status ( 20 pancreatic cases/y). A total of 10,168 pancreatectomies were identified, of which 75% occurred in expansion states; 39% were performed in rural patients and 79% at HVH. The ACA did not significantly increase pancreatic surgery rates (expansion states, P =.325; non-expansion states, P =.904). Among Medicaid beneficiaries, surgery rates showed a slight increase before ME in non-expansion states but not within other payer types. The growth in the use of HVH preceded the ACA and continued along this trajectory after ME (expansion states, P =.356; non-expansion states, P =.413). Medicaid beneficiaries in the Midwest did not experience increased rates of pancreatic surgery after ME, suggesting that insurance coverage alone is insufficient to increase receipt of surgical care.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Future investigations should examine barriers beyond healthcare coverage that may limit rural patients’ ability to receive pancreatic surgery in the Midwest.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Barriers beyond Medicaid: A Midwest study on pancreatic surgery access in the post-Affordable Care Act era. Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery, 2026;30(9):102468. Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery can be contacted at: Elsevier Science Inc, Ste 800, 230 Park Ave, New York, NY 10169, USA. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery - http://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-gastrointestinal-surgery/)

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Alexander Hall, Dept. of Clinical Research and Public Health, Creighton University School of Medicine and Catholic Health Initiatives, Omaha, NE, United States. Additional authors for this research include James K. Hazen, Jillian B. Timperley, Mark Pedersen, Emily Brown, Jennifer F. Tseng, Awinder Singh, Ryan W. Walters and Waddah B. Al-Refaie.