Obamacare Gave More Breast Cancer Survivors Access to Breast Reconstruction
(Image: iStock.com/Tagore75)
A new study was presented at an online meeting of the American Society of Breast Surgeons on April 29 found that breast reconstruction disparities improved dramatically with Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. Findings also revealed that there were significant increases in breast reconstruction among non-Hispanic Black women, sometimes even achieving higher rates than surgeries of non-Hispanic white women. According to the meeting, the study also found significant growth in reconstruction rates among women with lower income and education levels, during the same time period.
“The timeline for broadening Medicaid qualification criteria, providing coverage to those who had previously been uninsured, corresponded directly with the timeline for mitigation of breast reconstruction disparities in race, income and education,” Sharon Lum, MD, Loma Linda University Heal