FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Doctors for America
PO Box: 21161
2300 18th St NW Lbby
Washington, DC 20009-9996
February 20, 2026
New Medicaid Rules Could Reverse Lifesaving Cancer Gains
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Federal Medicaid restrictions could strip coverage from 7.5 million Americans leading to more than a million missed cancer screenings and over 2,300 undetected cancers and hundreds of preventable deaths in just two years, according to researchers. These projected harms stem from the 2025 Budget Reconciliation Act, which introduces new Medicaid eligibility restrictions, including work requirements and more frequent recertification checks. Physicians warn these disruptions come at a particularly dangerous moment for cancer prevention and early diagnosis in the United States.
Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death among younger adults, rising from the fifth-leading cause in the early 1990s. Breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death for younger women. Although overall cancer mortality among younger adults has declined substantially over the past three decades, continued progress depends on uninterrupted access to preventive screening.
Recent data from the American Cancer Society and modeling published in JAMA Oncology project that federal Medicaid eligibility restrictions could reverse gains in cancer detection by creating coverage gaps that delay lifesaving screenings.
Over the first two years of implementation, researchers estimate that Medicaid eligibility restrictions could result in:
- 7.5 million adults losing Medicaid coverage
- 1.15 million missed cancer screenings, including more than 400,000 mammograms and nearly 680,000 colorectal screenings
- 2,341 cancers going undetected
- 326 cancers presenting at an advanced stage
- 155 excess deaths
These outcomes will disproportionately affect young adults, women, and socially vulnerable populations who are more likely to rely on Medicaid for preventive services, including mammography, colorectal cancer screening, and reproductive health care. When coverage is disrupted, cancers are more likely to be diagnosed at later, harder-to-treat stages.
Doctors for America strongly opposes federal Medicaid eligibility restrictions that limit access to lifesaving cancer screenings and preventive care. We support policies that ensure continuous Medicaid coverage so that patients have uninterrupted access to preventive health services.
“Access to cancer screening saves lives. Losing coverage for these essential services will undermine early detection — when cancer is most treatable — for millions of Americans. As a result, more cancers will be diagnosed at advanced stages, which could require more aggressive treatments and lead to poorer outcomes,” said Dr. Natasha Monga, Breast Radiologist and President of The Ohio Radiological Society.
Medicaid expansion has already demonstrated what continuous coverage can achieve. States that expanded Medicaid saw more cancers diagnosed at earlier, more treatable stages. That earlier detection translated into better survival. Researchers estimate that expansion was associated with more than 2,500 fewer advanced-stage cancer diagnoses and over 1,600 fewer cancer deaths — with most of those lives saved because cancers were caught earlier.
Expansion also helped narrow longstanding disparities. Survival gains were larger among Black patients, rural residents, and young adults from historically underserved communities. Among young adults with cancer, survival improvements were especially pronounced for racial and ethnic minoritized patients.
Access to timely, guideline-recommended treatment improved under expansion as well. Patients in expansion states were more likely to begin treatment within recommended timeframes for breast, cervical, and colon cancers.
Preventive screening increased under expansion. Low-income adults were more likely to receive colorectal cancer screening, and screening rates rose substantially among Hispanic women for breast and cervical cancer.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Medicaid expansion states experienced smaller declines in early-stage cancer diagnoses, underscoring Medicaid’s protective role during public health emergencies. At a time when early-onset colorectal cancer rates continue to rise, policies that restrict access to preventive screening risk exacerbating an already alarming public health trend.
For women, access to mammography and related services is an essential component to reproductive healthcare.
Medicaid coverage is not merely a budget line item — it is a lifesaving clinical intervention. Gaps in coverage lead directly to delayed diagnosis, more advanced disease, and preventable deaths.
Doctors for America calls on policymakers to:
- Protect continuous Medicaid coverage for cancer screenings
- Reject eligibility restrictions that predictably lead to gaps in preventive care
- Evaluate federal and state Medicaid policies through formal public health impact assessments
Access to preventive care saves lives. When coverage is disrupted, patients face delayed diagnoses, more aggressive disease, and unnecessary suffering. Doctors for America affirms that maintaining continuous Medicaid access is essential to protecting health, reducing disparities, and supporting patient-centered care across the United States.
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About Doctors for America
Doctors for America (DFA) is a national nonprofit that mobilizes over 40,000 physicians and medical trainees to advocate for policies that improve the health of patients and communities. Through advocacy training and action at the state and federal levels, DFA works to expand access to affordable care, strengthen community health and prevention efforts, and advance health justice and equity. We do not accept funding from pharmaceutical, insurance, or for-profit health care entities, ensuring our work remains fiercely independent and patient-centered. DFA puts patients over politics—and over profits. Find out more at doctorsforamerica.org and Bluesky drsforamerica.bsky.social.