JAMA otolaryngology-- head & neck surgery
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JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg · Mar 2020
Association of Medicaid Expansion Under the Affordable Care Act With Stage at Diagnosis and Time to Treatment Initiation for Patients With Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
Medicaid expansions as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) are associated with decreases in the percentage of uninsured patients who have received a new diagnosis of cancer. Little is known about the association of Medicaid expansions with stage at diagnosis and time to treatment initiation (TTI) for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). ⋯ This study suggests that Medicaid expansions were associated with a greater increase in the percentage of patients with HNSCC with Medicaid coverage, an increase in the percentage of patients with localized disease at diagnosis for the overall cohort of patients with HNSCC, and improved TTI for patients with nonoropharyngeal HNSCC.