title: A brighter future? The impact of insurance and socioeconomic status on cancer outcomes in the USA: a review.
abstract: Uninsured and Medicaid-insured cancer patients have been shown to present with more advanced disease, less often receive cancer-directed therapy and suffer higher rates of mortality than those with private insurance. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law in March of 2010 and seeks to increase rates of public and private health insurance. Although several provisions will in particular benefit those with chronic and high-cost medical conditions such as cancer, the extent to which disparities in cancer care will be eliminated is uncertain. Further legislative changes may be needed to ensure equal and adequate cancer care for all patients regardless of insurance or socioeconomic status.
authors.affiliation: Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, Gilbert, AZ 85234, USA.
authors.forename: Gary V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.|Department of Health Services Research, Division of OVP, Cancer Prevention & Population Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: B Ashleigh
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Guadagnolo
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koshy
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Usama
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Mahmood
mesh_terms: D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000191:economics*; D012923:Social Class; D014481:United States
keywords: cancer; disparities; health reform; insurance; socioeconomics