ArticleHealth services research2026
Delaying Screening Until Covered? Changes in Lung Cancer Screening at the Age of Nearly-Universal Medicare Insurance.
Article in Health services research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- BMI and Initiation of Cancer Screening: A Closer Look at Differences by Race, Ethnicity, and Sex in a Multicenter Population.American journal of preventive medicine · 2026Observational
- Delaying Screening Until Covered? Changes in Lung Cancer Screening at the Age of Nearly-Universal Medicare Insurance.Health services research · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo estimate changes in lung cancer screening at age 65, the age of nearly universal Medicare coverage. STUDY SETTING AND
designScreening reduces lung cancer mortality but is underutilized. We used a regression discontinuity design to measure the impact of nearly universal Medicare coverage at age 65 on first-time receipt of screening (primary outcome) and the proportion of screened individuals with detected lung cancer (secondary outcome). DATA SOURCES AND ANALYTIC SAMPLE: First-time screens at age 60-69 in the American College of Radiology's Lung Cancer Screening Registry data, 2015-2020. PRINCIPAL
findingsNearly-universal access to Medicare at 65 increased first-time lung cancer screening by 5450 per year (CI 4911-5990), a 41% increase compared to age 64. Eighty-nine percent of additional screens were among people who met screening eligibility criteria. Increases at age 65 were larger in rural areas than nonrural areas (52% vs. 39%) and were similar for men and women (41% and 42%). There was no statistically significant change in the proportion of screened individuals with lung cancer detected.
conclusionFirst-time receipt of lung cancer screening increases at age 65, particularly among people in rural areas. Cancer detection rates did not worsen, suggesting screening remained well targeted as it increased.
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Registered trials
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