Short-term limited duration (STLD) insurance plans do not provide comprehensive coverage and can leave patients who are diagnosed with a serious disease like cancer with catastrophic costs. In a new,​ large national study published March 18 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network Open, ACS researchers found the 2018 federal policy loosening restrictions on STLD insurance plans was associated with an increase in late-stage cancer diagnoses in states without or with inadequate additional STLD plan regulatory protections. 

“This research underscores the importance of state and federal policies banning or significantly restricting short-term limited duration insurance plans,” said Nova Yang, MSPH, associate scientist, health services research, and lead author of the study. “Most of these STLD plans do not cover essential health services, such as cancer screenings, which may delay cancer diagnoses, resulting in later stage disease, where treatment is more intensive, and the prognosis is worse.”  

Other ACS researchers contributing to the study include Dr. Jingxuan Zhao, Dr. Robin Yabroff, and senior author Dr. Xuesong Han.

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