Spillover effects of state mandated benefit laws: the case of outpatient breast cancer surgery.
This paper examines the "spillover effects" of state laws that mandate inpatient coverage for breast cancer surgery. It looks at outpatient utilization of two types of breast cancer surgery among Medicare fee-for-service patients, who are exempt from state regulation. Using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results cancer registries and Medicare claims, we performed difference-in-differences analyses of patients in nine states from 1993 to 2002. The analyses show that state laws had a significant impact on only the likelihood of outpatient mastectomy, which was reduced by five percentage points. Such a spillover effect may diminish the expected impact of federal coverage laws for inpatient breast cancer surgery, which have been proposed to achieve similar ends.
Bian
John
J
Health Services Research and Development, Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Decatur, GA 30033, USA. john.bian@va.gov
Lipscomb
Joseph
J
Mello
Michelle M
MM
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000556:Ambulatory Surgical Procedures / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D018588:Fee-for-Service Plans / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007343:Insurance Carriers / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D007345:Insurance Claim Review; D008408:Mastectomy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006278:Medicare / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018426:SEER Program; D013219:State Government; D014481:United States