The impact of health insurance status on stage at diagnosis of oropharyngeal cancer

Abstract

Individuals who lacked insurance or had Medicaid coverage were at the greatest risk for presenting with advanced oropharyngeal cancer. In the current study, the results for the Medicaid group may have been influenced by the postdiagnostic enrollment of uninsured patients. Insurance coverage appeared to be a highly modifiable predictor of cancer stage. The findings indicated that it is important to consider the impact of insurance coverage on disease stage at diagnosis and associated morbidity, mortality, and quality of life.