25 Nov Young Women Covered Under ACA Received Earlier Cervical Cancer Screening

Dr. Han

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Xuesong Han, PhD
Director, Surveillance and Health Services Research
American Cancer Society, Inc.
Atlanta, GA 3030

Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Dr. Han: People with private insurance are more likely to be screened and more likely to be diagnosed at an early stage of cancer. An early provision of the Affordable Care Act implemented in September 2010 allows young adults to remain on their parents’ health insurance plan until age 26 years, following which there has been an increase in private insurance coverage among young adults aged 19-25 years. For young adults, the uterine cervix is the only cancer site for which screening is recommended with a starting age of 21 years, and diagnosis of cervical cancer at early stages allows use of fertility-sparing treatment.

Using data before and after the dependent coverage expansion provision of ACA, we found that compared with 26-34 year-olds who were not affected by the policy change, women 21-25 years of age experienced a net increase of 9 percentage points in early stage disease and 11.9 percentage points in receipt of fertility-sparing treatment.

Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Dr. Han: Our study suggested a positive effect of the ACA dependent coverage expansion provision on cervical cancer diagnosis and treatment. The take-away for the clinicians and patients is the importance of insurance and access to cancer care even at a young age.

Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Dr. Han: Future study should continue to monitor cancer care and outcomes in populations targeted by the ACA.

Citation:

Last Updated on November 25, 2015 by Marie Benz MD FAAD