Uninsured patients ages 60 to 64 are twice as likely to receive late-stage cancer diagnoses than Medicare beneficiaries ages 66 to 69, according to research published in Health Affairs.
Researchers from the University of South Carolina and the American Cancer Society analyzed data found in the National Cancer Database from 2004 to 2016. The main outcomes were survival at one, two and five years for 16 cancer types in 1.2 million patients, the article said.
The analysis showed younger uninsured cancer patients had significantly lower five-year survival rates than older insured patients. Uninsured patients ages 60 to 64 were also less likely to receive cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery than older Medicare patients.
The research comes after a long-standing argument for expansion of Medicare eligibility requirements.