Obamacare led to better cancer outcomes: studies

[DonViejo]

Source: France24



Date created : 02/06/2019 - 14:09

A pair of studies have found that Obamacare led to an increase in early-stage ovarian cancer detections and helped nearly erase racial differences in the timely treatment of a range of cancers.

The findings, which were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncological annual meeting in Chicago, come as the administration of President Donald Trump is renewing its efforts to strike down the Affordable Care Act signed into law by his predecessor Barack Obama.

The study on ovarian cancer screening was led by Anna Jo Smith at the Johns Hopkins Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics in Baltimore.

"Having health insurance plays a major role in whether or not a woman has access to care providers who can monitor symptoms and act on those symptoms if necessary,"she said.

Read more: https://www.france24.com/en/20190602-obamacare-led-better-cancer-outcomes-studies

[ananda]

1. This will change as healthcare and drugs are ..

.. becoming more and more unaffordable.

[yardwork]

6. I don't think so.

[Judi Lynn]

18. Clearly, it will. No other possibility, unfortunately. n/t

[Kind of Blue]

2. Outstanding news. Thanks.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

3. Better healthcare make better outcomes makes the nation more competitive. Not tariffs. . . . nt

[calimary]

11. Yep! This is good info to have.

[erronis]

15. But that is not trumputin's goal.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

17. That is clear too. . . . nt

[CTyankee]

4. This will infuriate Trump. He will be in psychic pain over it.

GOOD! You deserve the pain, you evil, NASTY man!

[pazzyanne]

9. trump is disappointed.

You do know he discovered that wind turbines cause cancer, right? If Obamacare is leading the charge in finding better ways to treat cancer, he will be very upset! On the upside, so glad to hear this. When people can afford to go to the doctor, the results for everyone improve.

[mopinko]

5. people really dont understand how much there is to the aca

beyond the exchanges.
the requirement to cover screenings and vaccinations is so big.
there is a lot in there, like electronic records, that will lead to all kinds of better outcomes, and more understanding about what the best practices and most effective treatments.

all bubbling along in the background, waiting for people to notice.

[calimary]

12. Good stuff!

[Honeycombe8]

8. It was mainly the Medicaid Expansion by some states. Here's CNN article on it.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/02/health/medicaid-expansion-cancer-racial-disparities-study/index.html

"Regardless of race, Medicaid expansion trended toward an increase in timely treatment overall," the researchers wrote.

The researchers took a close look at whether cancer patient's treatment was "timely," defined as whether treatment began within 30 days of the diagnosis. The researchers also assessed that data by race and whether the patient's state of residence had expanded Medicaid as of the time of their diagnosis.

The researchers found that before expansion, black patients were 4.9 percentage points less likely to receive timely treatment, but "prior racial disparities were no longer observed after Medicaid," the researchers wrote in their study's abstract.
Expansion "was associated with a differential benefit" of 6.9 percentage points for black patients and 1.8% percentage points for white patients, the researchers found.

For instance, a study that published last year in the American Journal of Public Health found that declines in infant death rates between 2010 and 2016 were greater in Medicaid expansion states, with greater declines among black infants, compared with states that did not expand Medicaid.

"There's growing concern about Massachusetts versus Mississippi differences. State-by-state disparities are now the big problem," Brawley said, because some states expanded Medicaid and others did not.

[calimary]

13. More good stuff!

[Honeycombe8]

14. Not "more." Same stuff. Just American-reported and more accurate.

It's not the individual ACA policies that made the difference, it seems. It's the Medicaid Expansion, which is part of a deal to states offered by the fed, as part of the ACA.

[IronLionZion]

10. There's probably data on differences between blue and red states

since the states that expanded Medicaid would have more people insured and better outcomes.

There was a study like this that showed tremendous improvements for people who got screenings and treatment for HIV and other terrible diseases after getting access to Medicaid. It's a life changer for many folks.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

16. How bizarre is that?

And who'da thunk it?

I'm reminded of the uncomfortable fact that countries with strong gun controls oddly enough don't have mass shootings. You'd almost think there was some kind of connection.

[BigmanPigman]

19. Preventative care is what most countries have in their

govt health insur. The ACA finally made it to the US and it has been proven effective so of course the GOP sadists want to end it (especially if more the poor and women will suffer the most as a result).

[riversedge]

20. good news.