Medicaid Expansion Improves Survival in Children with Cancer
This graph is from an early analysis of the effect of Medicaid expansion on children with cancer. It shows a clear difference in survival between children with cancer who live in a state that expanded Medicaid compared to those who don’t.
Comparison of 2-year Survival Rates for
Children with Cancer in States with
Medicaid Expansion vs. States Without Expansion
This graphic shows the difference in the probability of children surviving through 2 years after a diagnosis of cancer before and after 2014 when Medicaid Expansion went into effect. It specifically compares the difference in survival between children in states that expanded eligibility for Medicaid (orange line) and in states that didn’t (green line).
Before 2014: The orange and green curves stay close together. That means survival for children in states with Medicaid Expansion (orange) and without Medicaid Expansion (green) was fairly similar.
After 2014: The orange line is always higher than the green line. That means children living in states with Medicaid Expansion had a higher likelihood of surviving through 2 years after a cancer diagnosis than those who live in non-expansion states.
The researchers, which included Xuesong Han, PhD, in Health Services Research at the American Cancer Society (ACS), found evidence for:
- A net increase in overall survival for children with cancer in expansion vs. non-expansion states.
- The largest increase in survival associated with Medicaid Expansion was for children who lived in low-income counties.