Webinar – Understanding Medicaid: What Advocates Need to Know
The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) presents “Understanding Medicaid: What Advocates Need to Know.” Designed for cancer survivors, caregivers, and health care professionals, this session sheds light on Medicaid’s critical role in providing health coverage to 74 million Americans, including cancer survivors and their families.
During this educational webinar, we explore the essentials of Medicaid, including what it is, who it covers, and how it is financed. Viewers will gain insights into Medicaid’s importance in addressing health disparities and supporting cancer patients.
Robin Yabroff, PhD, Scientific Vice President at the American Cancer Society, and Heather Saunders, PhD, Senior Research Manager from the Kaiser Family Foundation, provide an overview of Medicaid’s structure, its importance for cancer survivors, and the potential consequences of funding cuts on access to care for the cancer community.
Dr. Saunders’ presentation covers how Medicaid is funded and who is eligible. She highlights how various proposed cuts to federal Medicaid funding could impact enrollees, noting that 20 million enrollees could lose coverage if the federal match for the expansion of the Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) were eliminated. Dr. Yabroff’s presentation explores how medical coverage affects patient outcomes in cancer care, and how the ACA’s Medicaid Expansion has improved cancer mortality rates in states that expanded Medicaid versus those that did not. After their presentations, NCCS CEO Shelley Fuld Nasso moderates a Q&A with the speakers featuring questions from the audience.
This webinar is an essential resource for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of Medicaid’s vital role in the U.S. health care system.
Watch the full video below or watch on YouTube.
Webinar Resources
- Presentation Slide Deck – Heather Saunders, PhD: What to Know About Medicaid and Potential Federal Funding Cuts (PDF)
- Presentation Slide Deck – Robin Yabroff, PhD: Medicaid and Access to Cancer Care and Patient Outcomes (PDF)
- NCCS has created a resource page for Protecting Medicaid Access for Cancer Survivors and will continue to add more content.
- Research mentioned during the presentation:
- Changes in Noninsurance and Care Unaffordability Among Cancer Survivors Following the Affordable Care Act (PDF) (Web)
Xuesong Han, Ahmedin Jemal, Zhiyuan Zheng, Ann Goding Sauer, Stacey Fedewa, K Robin Yabroff, JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, July 2020 - The Affordable Care Act and access to care across the cancer control continuum: A review at 10 years. (PDF) (Web)
Zhao, J., Mao, Z., Fedewa, S.A., Nogueira, L., Yabroff, K.R., Jemal, A. and Han, X., March 2020, CA A Cancer J Clin - Comparison of Insurance Status and Diagnosis Stage Among Patients With Newly Diagnosed Cancer Before vs After Implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. (PDF) (Web)
Han X, Yabroff KR, Ward E, Brawley OW, Jemal A, 2018, JAMA Oncol.
- Changes in Noninsurance and Care Unaffordability Among Cancer Survivors Following the Affordable Care Act (PDF) (Web)
- Video Chapters:
- 00:00 Introduction
02:00 Medicaid: What to Know
08:22 Proposals to Cut Medicaid & Impacts on Enrollees
22:00 Cancer Mortality & Care Access Inequities
29:45 Medicaid Expansion Explained
42:55 Discussion and Q&A
- 00:00 Introduction
About Heather Saunders, PhD
Senior Research Manager, Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured
KFF
Heather Saunders is a senior research manager with KFF’s Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured. Her work primarily focuses on mental health and substance use policy, covering key areas such as the delivery of crisis care, treatment of opioid use disorders, and efforts to address the behavioral health workforce shortages. Prior to joining KFF, she participated in evaluations for Virginia Medicaid programs, using quantitative and qualitative research methods.
She received her Master of Social Work degree and served clients in hospital, school and outpatient settings. She also managed behavioral randomized controlled trials in medical settings. Dr. Saunders received her doctorate in health care policy and research from Virginia Commonwealth University.
About Robin Yabroff, PhD
Scientific Vice President, Health Services Research
American Cancer Society
Robin Yabroff, PhD, is an epidemiologist and Scientific Vice President, Health Services Research, at the American Cancer Society. She conducts research on the economic burden of cancer; patterns of cancer care, including high-cost prescription drugs; health insurance benefit design; and patient, provider, and health system factors associated with the quality and value of cancer care.
Dr. Yabroff has more than 25 years of health services research experience and currently has adjunct positions within the Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, and the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University. Prior to joining the American Cancer Society, she held positions within the Office of Health Policy, Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) in the US Department of Health and Human Services, the Health Services and Economics Branch of the National Cancer Institute, and the faculty of the Lombardi Cancer Center, Georgetown University. She earned her PhD in epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and received an MBA from the University of Rochester.
Dr. Yabroff has co-authored over 350 peer-reviewed journal articles and invited editorials, commentaries, and book chapters. She is an Associate Editor for the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, a founding member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Cancer Survivorship, and a member of the Editorial Board of the JCO Oncology Practice. Dr. Yabroff has received multiple National Institutes of Health Merit Awards for her research leadership and mentorship. She was recognized as a Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (FASCO) in 2024.
