Insurance Trends in Patients Diagnosed with Melanoma Before and After the Affordable Care Act: A National Database Study

Abstract

Background: The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was intended, in part, to reduce the uninsured population. It underwent full implementation in 2014 with optional state Medicaid expansion and health insurance marketplaces. Prior to the ACA, studies show that insurance status affects cancer care, including prevention, diagnosis, stage at diagnosis, and management. ACA impact on malignant melanoma is unknown. In this study, the primary objective is to examine the impact of the ACA on insurance rates among patients diagnosed with malignant melanoma. Survival by insurance type was also assessed. Methods: A retrospective analysis of the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) cancer registry was performed for malignant melanoma between 2007 (first year of insurance da-ta in SEER) and 2015. Standardized mean differences were used for 2007-2013 and 2014-2015 (after full ACA implementation) for the primary objective. Sub-analysis was performed for Med-icaid expansion and non-expansion states. The impact of insurance type (uninsured, Medicaid, non-Medicaid) on all-cause and cause-specific mortality was assessed via adjusted cox regression models. Results: Nationally, the ACA decreased percentage of uninsured patients (-1.12% to -2.26%, P<0.05) and increased percentage of Medicaid enrollees (+1.53% to +4.02%, P<.005) diagnosed with malignant melanoma. Expansion states showed decreased percentage of uninsured patients (-1.43% to -2.24%, P<0.05) and increased percentage of Medicaid enrollees (+1.66% to +4.84%, P<0.05). Non-expansion states showed no change in percentages of uninsured patients and Medicaid enrollees. All-cause and cause-specific mortality were decreased in uninsured and Medicaid patients diagnosed with malignant melanoma compared to non-Medicaid insured patients (reference group). Discussion: The ACA decreased the rate of patients diagnosed with malignant melanoma with uninsured status, but this was only significant in Medicaid expansion states. Although diagnosis of melanoma is associated with High Socioeconomic Status (SES), Medicaid expansion seems to have increased access to dermatologic care. Increasing the number of states expanding Medicaid may be beneficial. However, Medicaid patient have worse all-cause and cause-specific mortality compared to non-Medicaid insured patients. Addressing these disparities through policy is important to ensure insurance coverage translates to better outcomes.