Tetyana Shippee|Katy B. Kozhimannil|Kathleen Rowan|Beth A Virnig
Health Insurance Coverage and Racial Disparities in Breast Reconstruction After Mastectomy
Minnesota Department of Health|Minnesota Department of Health|Minnesota Department of Health|Minnesota Department of Health
h2abstracth2h3backgroundh3 breast reconstruction mastectomy offers clinical cosmetic psychological benefits compared mastectomy alone although reconstruction rates increased racialethnic disparities breast reconstruction persist insurance coverage facilitates access care studies examined whether health insurance ameliorates disparities h3methodsh3 used nationwide inpatient sample 2002 2006 examine relationships health insurance coverage raceethnicity breast reconstruction rates among women underwent mastectomy breast cancer examined reconstruction rates function interaction race primary payer selfpay private health insurance government controlling patient comorbidity used generalized estimating equations account clustering hospital characteristics h3findingsh3 minority women lower breast reconstruction rates white women adjusted odds ratio aor 057 african american aor 070 hispanic aor 045 asian ipi 001 uninsured women aor 033 public coverage less likely undergo reconstruction aor 035 ipi 001 privately insured women racialethnic disparities less prominent within insurance types minority women whether privately publicly insured lower odds undergoing reconstruction white women among without insurance reconstruction rates differ raceethnicity h3conclusionsh3 insurance facilitates access care eliminate racialethnic disparities reconstruction rates findingswhich reveal persistent health care disparities explained patient health statusshould prompt efforts promote access use beneficial covered services women breast cancer