Trends in immediate breast reconstruction across insurance groups after enactment of breast cancer legislation

BACKGROUND To improve access to breast reconstruction for mastectomy patients, the United States enacted the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act in January of 1999. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the impact of this legislation on patients with different insurance plans. METHODS Women aged ≥18 years who underwent mastectomy for cancer were identified in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database (2000‐2009) and were classified according to their immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) status. Trends in rates of IBR were described for each insurance category. Multivariable logistic regression analysis with adjustment for age, race, estimated household income, and Elixhauser comorbidity index was performed to evaluate the relation between insurance status and IBR. RESULTS In total, 168,236 patients were identified who underwent a mastectomy during the study interval. Across the 10‐year study period, rates of IBR increased 4.2‐fold in Medicaid patients, 2.9‐fold in Medicare patients, 2.6‐fold in privately insured patients, and 2.1‐fold in self‐pay patients (P