Medicaid Recipients and Uninsured More Likely to Die from Cancer

Dan Frith

Contributor

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The New York Times ran an article on February 18 entitled, "Study Finds Cancer Diagnosis Linked to Insurance." That title doesn't sound too bad does it? I think a more accurate title should be, "Medicaid Recipients and Uninsured More Likely to Die from Cancer."

Do you want to know why?

The study, conducted by the American Cancer Society, found the uninsured and those covered by Medicaid are more likely than those with private insurance to receive a diagnosis of cancer in late stages, often diminishing their chances of survival. The widest disparities were noted in cancers that could be detected early through standard screening or assessment of symptoms, like breast cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer and melanoma.

When comparing blacks to whites, the disparities in late-stage diagnosis were statistically significant for 10 of the 12 cancers. Hispanics also had a higher risk but less so than blacks.

The study's authors concluded that "individuals without private insurance are not receiving optimum care in terms of cancer screening or timely diagnosis and follow-up with health care providers." Advanced-stage diagnosis, they wrote, "leads to increased morbidity, decreased quality of life and survival and, often, increased costs."

So why don't we call the results of the study what they really are? The poor and uninsured die from preventable cancer more often than those with greater financial resources. Is this what we want in America?