Positive impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion on Louisiana women with breast cancer

Abstract

Background: Louisiana is one of the few Southern states that enacted the Medicaid expansion of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). To the authors' knowledge, the issue of how this has affected the breast cancer landscape in Louisiana is unknown. The authors have postulated that ACA expansion had a positive impact for Louisiana women diagnosed with breast cancer. Methods: Data from the Louisiana Tumor Registry regarding 14,640 women aged 20 to 64 years who resided in Louisiana and were diagnosed with American Joint Committee on Cancer stage 0 to stage IV breast cancer between 2012 and 2018 were analyzed. The study period was divided into 2 groups: 1) before ACA expansion (January 1, 2012–May 31, 2016); and 2) after ACA expansion (June 1, 2016–December 31, 2018). The chi-square test and multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the impact of ACA expansion. A P value