Researchers from Flatiron Health Inc. Report on Findings in Cancer (Aca Medicaid Expansion Association With Racial Disparity Reductions In Timely Cancer Treatment)

2021 AUG 19 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Health Policy and Law Daily -- Investigators publish new report on Cancer. According to news reporting originating from New York City, New York, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Racial disparities in cancer care and outcomes remain a societal challenge. Medicaid expansion through the Affordable Care Act was intended to improve health care access and equity.”

Financial support for this research came from Flatiron Health, Inc.

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from Flatiron Health Inc., “This study aimed to assess whether state Medicaid expansions were associated with a reduction in racial disparities in timely treatment among patients diagnosed with advanced cancer. This difference-in-differences study analyzed deidentified electronic health record-derived data. Patients aged 18 to 64 years with advanced or metastatic cancers diagnosed between January 1, 2011, and January 31, 2019, and receiving systemic therapy were included. The primary end point was receipt of timely treatment, defined as first-line systemic therapy starting within 30 days after diagnosis of advanced or metastatic disease. Racial disparity was defined as adjusted percentage-point (PP) difference for Black vs White patients, adjusted for age, sex, practice setting, cancer type, stage, insurance marketplace, and area unemployment rate, with time and state fixed effects. The study included 30,310 patients (12.3% Black race). Without Medicaid expansion, Black patients were less likely to receive timely treatment than White patients (43.7% vs 48.4%; adjusted difference, -4.8 PP; P< .001). With Medicaid expansion, this disparity was diminished and lost significance (49.7% vs 50.5%; adjusted difference, -0.8 PP; P = .605). The adjusted difference-in-differences estimate was a 3.9 PP reduction in racial disparity (95% CI, 0.1-7.7 PP; P = .045).”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Medicaid expansion was associated with reduced Black-White racial disparities in receipt of timely systemic treatment for patients with advanced or metastatic cancers.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Aca Medicaid Expansion Association With Racial Disparity Reductions In Timely Cancer Treatment. The American Journal of Managed Care, 2021;27(7). The American Journal of Managed Care can be contacted at: Managed Care & Healthcare Communications Llc, 666 Plainsboro Rd, Ste 300, Plainsboro, NJ 08536, USA.

The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Blythe J. S. Adamson, Flatiron Health Inc., 233 Spring St, Fifth Fl, New York, NY 10025, United States. Additional authors for this research include Aaron B. Cohen, Melissa Estevez, Kelly Magee, Erin Williams, Neal J. Meropol, Cary P. Gross and Amy J. Davidoff.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.37765/ajmc.2021.88700. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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