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Background: Young adults (YAs) experience higher uninsurance rates and more advanced stage at cancer diagnosis than older counterparts. We examined the association of the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion with insurance coverage and stage at diagnosis among YAs newly diagnosed with cancer.Methods: Using the National Cancer Database, we identified 309 413 YAs aged 18-39 years who received a first cancer diagnosis in 2011-2016. Outcomes included percentages of YAs without health insurance at diagnosis, with stage I (early-stage) diagnoses, and with stage IV (advanced-stage) diagnoses. We conducted difference-in-difference (DD) analyses to examine outcomes before and after states implemented Medicaid expansion compared with nonexpansion states. All statistical tests were 2-sided.Results: The percentage of uninsured YAs decreased more in expansion than nonexpansion states (adjusted DD = -1.0 percentage points [ppt], 95% confidence interval [CI] = -1.4 to -0.7 ppt, P < .001). The overall percentage of stage I diagnoses increased (adjusted DD = 1.4 ppt, 95% CI = 0.6 to 2.2 ppt, P < .001) in expansion compared with nonexpansion states, with greater improvement among YAs in rural areas (adjusted DD = 7.2 ppt, 95% CI = 0.2 to 14.3 ppt, P = .045) than metropolitan areas (adjusted DD = 1.3 ppt, 95% CI = 0.4 to 2.2 ppt, P = .004) and among non-Hispanic Black patients (adjusted DD = 2.2 ppt, 95% CI = -0.03 to 4.4 ppt, P = .05) than non-Hispanic White patients (adjusted DD = 1.4 ppt, 95% CI = 0.4 to 2.3 ppt, P = .008). Despite the non-statistically significant change in stage IV diagnoses overall, the percentage declined more (adjusted DD = -1.2 ppt, 95% CI = -2.2 to -0.2 ppt, P = .02) among melanoma patients in expansion relative to nonexpansion states.Conclusions: We provide the first evidence, to our knowledge, on the association of Medicaid expansion with shifts to early-stage cancer at diagnosis and a narrowing of rural-urban and Black-White disparities in YA cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: With increasing cancer care costs and greater patient cost-sharing in the USA, understanding access to medical care among cancer survivors is imperative. This study aims to identify financial, psychosocial, and cancer-related barriers to the receipt of medical care, tests, or treatments deemed necessary by the doctor or patient for cancer among cancer survivors age < 65 years.Methods: We used data on 4321 cancer survivors aged 18-64 years who completed the 2012 LIVESTRONG Survey. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify risk factors associated with the receipt of necessary medical care, including sociodemographic, financial hardship, debt amount, caregiver status, and cancer-related variables.Results: Approximately 28% of cancer survivors were within 1 year, and 43% between 1 and 5 years, since their last treatment at the time of survey. Nearly 9% of cancer survivors reported not receiving necessary medical care. Compared to survivors without financial hardship, the likelihood of not receiving necessary medical care significantly increased as the amount of debt increased among those with financial hardship (RRFinancial hardship w/< $10,000 debt = 1.94, 95% CI 1.55-2.42, and RR RRFinancial hardship w/≥ $10,000 debt = 3.41, 95% CI 2.69-4.33, p < 0.001). Survivors who reported lack of a caregiver, being uninsured, and not receiving help understanding medical bills were significantly more likely to not receive necessary medical care.Conclusion: We identified key financial and insurance risk factors that may serve as significant barriers to the receipt of necessary medical care among cancer survivors age < 65 in the USA IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: The majority of cancer survivors reported receiving medical care either they or their doctors deemed necessary. However, identifying potentially modifiable barriers to receipt of necessary medical cancer care among cancer survivors age < 65 is imperative for developing interventions to ensure equitable access to care and reducing cancer disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are limited nationally representative estimates of the annual economic burden among survivors of the three most prevalent cancers (colorectal, female breast, and prostate) in both nonelderly and elderly populations in the United States.Methods: The 2008 to 2012 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data were used to identify colorectal (n = 540), female breast (n = 1568), and prostate (n = 1170) cancer survivors and individuals without a cancer history (n = 109 423). Excess economic burden attributable to cancer included per-person excess annual medical expenditures and productivity losses (employment disability, missed work days, and days stayed in bed). All analyses were stratified by cancer site and age (nonelderly: 18-64 years vs elderly: ≥ 65 years). Multivariable analyses controlled for age, sex, race/ethnicity, marital status, education, number of comorbidities, and geographic region. All statistical tests were two-sided.Results: Compared with individuals without a cancer history, cancer survivors experienced annual excess medical expenditures (for the nonelderly population, colorectal: $8647, 95% confidence interval [CI] = $4932 to $13 974, P < .001; breast: $5119, 95% CI = $3439 to $7158, P < .001; prostate: $3586, 95% CI = $1792 to $6076, P < .001; for the elderly population, colorectal: $4913, 95% CI = $2768 to $7470, P < .001; breast: $2288, 95% CI = $814 to $3995, P = .002; prostate: $3524, 95% CI = $1539 to $5909, P < .001). Nonelderly colorectal and breast cancer survivors experienced statistically significant annual excess employment disability (13.6%, P < .001, and 4.8%, P = .001) and productivity loss at work (7.2 days, P < .001, and 3.3 days, P = .002) and at home (4.5 days, P < .001, and 3.3 days, P = .003). In contrast, elderly survivors of all three cancer sites had comparable productivity losses as those without a cancer history.Conclusions: Colorectal, breast, and prostate cancer survivors experienced statistically significantly higher economic burden compared with individuals without a cancer history; however, excess economic burden varies by cancer site and age. Targeted efforts will be important in reducing the economic burden of colorectal, breast, and prostate cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer recurrence and disease-free survival are key outcomes for measuring the burden of illness, assessing the quality of cancer care, and informing decisions about increasingly costly cancer therapies. Yet information about recurrence is not collected in cancer registries or other population-based data sources. To address the lack of population-based recurrence information, researchers are increasingly using algorithms applied to health claims to infer recurrence. However, the validity of these approaches has not been comprehensively evaluated. In this commentary, we review existing studies and discuss options for improving the availability of recurrence data. We found that the validity of claims-based approaches appears promising in small, single institution studies, but larger population-based studies have identified substantial limitations with using claims to identify recurrence. With the increasing availability of health data, there are potential options that can be implemented to enhance information about recurrence. These options include design of software for the electronic medical record that enables rapid and standardized reporting of recurrence, use of electronic pathology reports to facilitate streamlined collection of recurrence by cancer registries, and mandates by insurers to require reporting of recurrence on health claims submitted by physicians. All of these options will require that governmental agencies, health insurers, professional societies, and other groups recognize the importance of population-based recurrence data and determine that this information is a priority for assessing cancer outcomes and costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the minimization of the financial toxicity of associated with cancer care.