University of Utah Researcher Advances Knowledge in Cancer (Health insurance among survivors of childhood cancer following affordable care act implementation): Cancer

2024 JUN 05 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Health & Medicine Business Daily -- Investigators publish new report on cancer. According to news originating from Salt Lake City, Utah, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “The Affordable Care Act (ACA) increased private non-employer health insurance options, expanded Medicaid eligibility, and provided pre-existing health conditions protections. We evaluated insurance coverage among long-term adult survivors of childhood cancer pre/post-ACA implementation.”

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from University of Utah: “Using the multicenter Childhood Cancer Survivor Study, we included participants from two cross-sectional surveys: pre-ACA (2007-2009; survivors: N = 7,505; siblings: N = 2,175) and post-ACA (2017-2019; survivors: N = 4,030; siblings: N = 987). A subset completed both surveys (1,840 survivors; 646 siblings). Multivariable regression models compared post-ACA insurance coverage and type (private/public/uninsured) between survivors and siblings and identified associated demographic and clinical factors. Multinomial models compared gaining and losing insurance vs staying the same among survivors and siblings who participated in both surveys. The proportion with insurance was higher post-ACA (survivors pre-ACA 89.1% to post-ACA 92.0% [+2.9%]; siblings pre-ACA 90.9% to post-ACA 95.3% [+4.4%]). Post-ACA insurance coverage was greater among those age 18-25 (survivors: 15.8% vs < 2.3% ages 26+; siblings +17.8% vs < 4.2% ages 26+). Survivors were more likely to have public insurance than siblings post-ACA (18.4% vs 6.9%; odds ratios [OR]=1.7, 95%CI 1.1-2.6). Survivors with severe chronic conditions (OR = 4.7, 95%CI 3.0-7.3) and those living in Medicaid expansion states (OR = 2.4, 95%CI 1.7-3.4) had increased odds of public insurance coverage post-ACA. Among the subset completing both surveys, low/mid income survivors (<$60,000) experienced both insurance losses and gains in reference to highest household income survivors ( $100,000), relative to odds of keeping the same insurance status.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Post-ACA, more childhood cancer survivors and siblings had health insurance, although disparities remain in coverage.”

For more information on this research see: Health insurance among survivors of childhood cancer following affordable care act implementation. JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 2024. The publisher for JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute is Oxford University Press (OUP).

A free version of this journal article is available at https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djae111.

Our news journalists report that more information may be obtained by contacting Anne C Kirchhoff, University of Utah Department of Pediatrics, Salt Lake City, UT, United States. Additional authors for this research include Austin R Waters, Qi Liu, Xu Ji, Yutaka Yasui, K Robin Yabroff, Rena M Conti, I-Chan Huang, Tara Henderson, Wendy M Leisenring, Gregory T Armstrong, Paul C Nathan, Elyse R Park.

(Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world.)