After Medicaid was expanded in Ohio, the chances of being diagnosed with advanced cancer fell among low-income residents, indicating that the expansion resulted in earlier cancer detection among this population, according to a new study.
The study, published in the journal Cancer, analyzed information of 12,760 individuals in Ohio between 30 and 64 years of age who had been diagnosed with invasive breast, cervical, colorectal or lung cancer between 2011 and 2016. The individuals were uninsured or had Medicaid insurance at the time of their cancer diagnosis.
Researchers compared data for these cancer patients before Medicaid was expanded (2011 to 2013) and after the expansion (2014 to 2016). They made note of whether patients were diagnosed with early or advanced cancer.
They found that low-income individuals diagnosed after Medicaid expansion had a 15 percent lower likelihood of having metastatic or advanced cancer compared to those diagnosed before expansion.
An editorial accompanying the study said the findings are consistent with other studies that have examined the effects of Medicaid expansion on cancer outcomes.
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