Sign in Subscribe
Cancer patients

Medicaid Expansion Linked to Timely Treatment and Access to High-volume Hospitals in Early-stage Lung Cancer Patients

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Medicaid expansion has been shown to have a positive impact on the uninsured rate in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. A recent study published in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery found that Medicaid expansion was associated with timely treatment in patients treated in expansion states. The study analyzed data from the National Cancer Database and identified 43,151 patients with resected stage I-II NSCLC between 2010 and 2016. The researchers found that Medicaid expansion was associated with a decrease in time to treatment in expansion states, with 46.0% of patients receiving treatment within 30 days of diagnosis.

Key Takeaways:

  • Medicaid expansion was associated with a 23.5% decrease in time to treatment in patients treated in expansion states (P
  • The study identified 43,151 patients with resected stage I-II NSCLC between 2010 and 2016, with 46.0% from expansion states and 54.0% from non-expansion states.
  • Medicaid expansion was associated with a decrease in the uninsured rate in NSCLC patients.
  • The study found that receipt of any treatment within 30 and 90 days of diagnosis decreased in both groups over time.
  • High-volume hospitals, defined as those in the highest volume quartile, treated 19,870 (46.0%) patients from expansion states and 23,281 (54.0%) patients from non-expansion states.
  • Additional studies are needed to determine if this policy affected the quality of oncologic care received in this population.

Statistics:

  • 43,151 patients with resected stage I-II NSCLC between 2010 and 2016 were identified in the study.
  • 46.0% of patients treated in expansion states received treatment within 90 days of diagnosis.
  • 23.5% decrease in time to treatment in patients treated in expansion states (P
  • 19,870 (46.0%) patients from expansion states were treated in high-volume hospitals.
  • 23,281 (54.0%) patients from non-expansion states were treated in high-volume hospitals.

Sources:

  • The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Association of Medicaid Expansion With Timely Treatment and Access To High-volume Hospitals In Early-stage Lung Cancer Patients, vol. 120, no. 2.
  • University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.
  • National Cancer Database.
  • NewsRx, Studies from University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Yield New Data on Lung Cancer (Association of Medicaid Expansion With Timely Treatment and Access To High-volume Hospitals In Early-stage Lung Cancer Patients), Medical Device Law Weekly, November 2, 2025, p 129.

Read more