Uninsured More Likely to Die From Cancer Following Diagnosis

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Additional findings in the study include:

• Uninsured women were less likely to have a Pap test in the past three years than insured women (68 percent vs. 87.9 percent).
• Among insured men, 37.1 percent had a prostate specific antigen test, compared with 14 percent of uninsured men.
• People aged 18 to 24 have the highest probability of being uninsured.
• Lower-income people are more likely to be uninsured.
• Blacks, Hispanics, Asian American/Pacific Islanders, and American Indian/Alaska Natives are more likely to be uninsured than whites.
• Of those without insurance, 53.6 percent have no usual source of health care.
• The uninsured are more likely to delay care, not receive care, and not obtain prescription drugs because of costs.
• Among people who saw a health-care provider, those without insurance were less likely to be advised to quit smoking or lose weight.

Brawley noted that while some of the uninsured qualify for Medicaid, coverage doesn't begin until the cancer has been diagnosed.

"You have someone who is uninsured and poor -- gets none of the screenings, gets none of the early detection opportunities -- when they finally go to the doctor, it's because they are so sick, they can no longer go to work, or their family is forcing them to go to the emergency room," Brawley said. "What you have is someone who a year ago we could, relatively cheaply, fix, maybe even cure, but now that they have ignored their symptoms, it's no longer fixable, we are going to treat them, but the treatment is going to be very expensive."

The remedy to the problem is "making sure that everyone who wants health insurance can get affordable health insurance," Brawley said. "In this country, we need to have an open conversation about this issue."

One expert thinks this study highlights the need for a health insurance program that covers everyone.

"Sadly, many Americans must face the challenges of cancer with no insurance coverage, or with Medicaid, which is often grossly inadequate as coverage," said Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a co-founder of Physicians for a National Health Program.

For these cancer patients, diagnosis is delayed and survival is shortened, Woolhandler said. "We need nonprofit national health insurance to be sure that everyone gets the health care they need, particularly people with cancer."

More information

For more on health insurance, visit Physicians for a National Health Program.