Public health policy can influence cancer treatment outcomes

Determining policy and examining trends in the public health space is important to ensure positive outcomes for cancer patients.

Cathy Bradley, Ph.D., dean and professor at the Colorado School of Public Health and associate director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center; and Dr. Lindsay M. Sabik, associate professor and vice chair for health policy management research at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health and member of the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, spoke with CancerNetwork® about their research and why they chose to focus on public health.

As part of the Breaking Barriers: Women in Oncology segment, Bradley and Sabik emphasized that their careers have also focused on health equity, the cost-effectiveness of cancer treatment and why patients continue to work after diagnosis. In particular, Sabik found public health interesting because it discusses how legislation like the Affordable Care Act can impact access to treatment across the population.

Transcription: :

Sabika: :

I am interested in population and access in general, and much of my research focuses on how state and federal policies impact the care people receive, including how they access insurance and what the consequences are. I started my career around the time the Affordable Care Act was passed and began to be implemented. Having had the opportunity to study how the antecedents of the Affordable Care Act, including a number of state reforms, impacted access to cancer care, and then thinking about the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in the work that Cathy and I did together, we were among the first to look at the expansion of insurance under Medicaid and how they increased cancer screenings, which led to earlier diagnosis and improved access to care. It’s an important part of my career and the work I’ve been able to do.

Bradley: :

Similarly, the work on Medicaid and the opportunity to (study) the Affordable Care Act (highlighted) the difference (these policies) made in changing cancer outcomes for certain populations. Another aspect of my research was labor market outcomes regarding people’s reactions to being diagnosed with cancer, getting employed, and obtaining employer insurance, and how they make trade-offs about continuing to work or not working. (We see) that some people will forego chemotherapy and treatment so as not to jeopardize their job, and (we examine) the role that health insurance plays in these decisions.