New research suggests that states that expanded Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act eliminated racial differences in being able to quickly start on treatment after a diagnosis of advanced cancer.
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The law that is often called “Obamacare” let states expand Medicaid eligibility and offer subsidies to help people buy health insurance.
Yale University researchers used electronic health records on 36,000 patients across the United States to gauge its impact. Before the law, 5% fewer blacks were starting treatment within a month of their cancer diagnoses. In states that expanded Medicaid, that difference went away.
Results were featured Sunday at a cancer conference in Chicago.