Improvements in cause-specific and overall survival seen for those residing in rural and high-poverty communities<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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TUESDAY, Oct. 14, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Among individuals in rural and high-poverty communities and with certain cancers, improvements in cause-specific and overall survival were greater in Medicaid expansion states, according to a study published online Oct. 8 in Cancer Discovery<\/em>.<\/p>\n Elizabeth J. Schafer, M.P.H., from the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, and colleagues conducted a difference-in-differences (DD) analysis to examine changes in five-year cause-specific survival and overall survival following Medicaid expansion. The analyses included 1,423,983 cancer cases diagnosed between 2007-2008 and 2014-2015 among adults aged 18 to 59 years residing in 26 expansion states and 12 nonexpansion states.<\/p>\n The researchers found that in expansion states, improvements in cause-specific survival were significantly greater among individuals residing in rural and high-poverty communities, non-Hispanic Whites, and those with pancreatic, lung, and colorectal cancer (DD, 2.55, 1.54, 0.37, 2.60, 1.32, and 1.31 percentage points, respectively). For overall survival, the results were similar.<\/p>\n “Research has shown that Medicaid expansion can increase cancer screening prevalence, early-stage diagnosis, short-term survival, and now — according to our own analysis — five-year survival,” Schafer said in a statement. “These findings underscore the importance of protecting and expanding Medicaid in the remaining 10 nonexpansion states to improve outcomes for all individuals.”<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n