How A Health Insurance Plan Can Save Your Life
Every day, more evidence comes out to reinforce the importance of having a health insurance plan. Those with insurance are generally healthier and have longer lifespans. The benefits of health insurance are especially applicable when a person is suffering from cancer, largely due to the fact that treatments are so expensive. Some cancer drugs cost thousands of dollars each month. In addition, cancer treatment often consists of chemotherapy and/or radiation for an extended period of time. The results of a recent study in a prestigious medical journal are another case in point. According to the newest volume of Cancer, patients with cancer in the head or neck who had health insurance had higher survival rates than those who were uninsured.
While that finding seems obvious, the study also found that those patients with a private health insurance plan had the best odds. Medicaid and Medicare disability health insurance patients treated at the same hospital had a 50% greater chance of dying from cancer, although they were better off than uninsured patients. This gives some amunition to opponents of healthcare reform, and may make some leery about a current proposal pending in the Senate, which would allow individuals from 50 to 64 years of age to buy into the Medicare program if they do not have their own health insurance plan. Is it an issue of government inefficiencies creating disparities in medical care?
The study believes that the involvement or lack thereof of the federal government in providing health care is not the primary factor causing these differences. In fact, despite worries of high-quality doctors being steered away from Medicare and Medicaid patients by lower reimbursement rates, it showed that all patients--regardless of health insurance plan status--received the same level of care once they entered treatments. Moreover, the risk of recurrence did not change. Nor is a patient's age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or drinking and smoking habits to blame: the study controlled for each of those variables.
If it isn't due to the level and quality of care or the actions of the individual, why are patients with a certain type of health insurance plan more likely to survive than others? It appears to relate to delayed diagnosis of cancer. Those patients with public health insurance or none at all tended to have their cancer diagnosed at more advanced stages, sure to decrease their odds of survival. Especially in the case of oral cancer, quality dental care can provide evidence of early symptoms. Medicaid patients, who typically have bare-bones dental coverage--if that--often skip routine dental checkups and cleanings that would catch those signs. Individuals on disability Medicare may struggle with transportation to treatment centers, which may delay the beginning of their treatment; many people who are uninsured or on Medicaid may have low-wage hourly employment that does not allow them time off to visit a doctor for treatment or diagnosis in a reasonable period of time.
Interestingly, the chances of survival were similar for patients who were covered by a private health insurance plan and those with standard Medicare for senior citizens. The reasons for this are unknown, although they could be related to the likelihood that many of the latter have Medicare Advantage plans as well. Older individuals are also more likely to receive screenings, because they are probably visiting physicians anyway and their risk of contracting diseases is perceived as higher. The study examined more than 1,000 cases from 1998 to 2007, involving illnesses such as the following: mouth cancer, throat cancer, cancer of the salivary glands, cancer of the lymph nodes, nasal cavity cancer, and laryngeal cancer.
While that finding seems obvious, the study also found that those patients with a private health insurance plan had the best odds. Medicaid and Medicare disability health insurance patients treated at the same hospital had a 50% greater chance of dying from cancer, although they were better off than uninsured patients. This gives some amunition to opponents of healthcare reform, and may make some leery about a current proposal pending in the Senate, which would allow individuals from 50 to 64 years of age to buy into the Medicare program if they do not have their own health insurance plan. Is it an issue of government inefficiencies creating disparities in medical care?
The study believes that the involvement or lack thereof of the federal government in providing health care is not the primary factor causing these differences. In fact, despite worries of high-quality doctors being steered away from Medicare and Medicaid patients by lower reimbursement rates, it showed that all patients--regardless of health insurance plan status--received the same level of care once they entered treatments. Moreover, the risk of recurrence did not change. Nor is a patient's age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or drinking and smoking habits to blame: the study controlled for each of those variables.
If it isn't due to the level and quality of care or the actions of the individual, why are patients with a certain type of health insurance plan more likely to survive than others? It appears to relate to delayed diagnosis of cancer. Those patients with public health insurance or none at all tended to have their cancer diagnosed at more advanced stages, sure to decrease their odds of survival. Especially in the case of oral cancer, quality dental care can provide evidence of early symptoms. Medicaid patients, who typically have bare-bones dental coverage--if that--often skip routine dental checkups and cleanings that would catch those signs. Individuals on disability Medicare may struggle with transportation to treatment centers, which may delay the beginning of their treatment; many people who are uninsured or on Medicaid may have low-wage hourly employment that does not allow them time off to visit a doctor for treatment or diagnosis in a reasonable period of time.
Interestingly, the chances of survival were similar for patients who were covered by a private health insurance plan and those with standard Medicare for senior citizens. The reasons for this are unknown, although they could be related to the likelihood that many of the latter have Medicare Advantage plans as well. Older individuals are also more likely to receive screenings, because they are probably visiting physicians anyway and their risk of contracting diseases is perceived as higher. The study examined more than 1,000 cases from 1998 to 2007, involving illnesses such as the following: mouth cancer, throat cancer, cancer of the salivary glands, cancer of the lymph nodes, nasal cavity cancer, and laryngeal cancer.
Source...