This project is funded under the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Research in Transforming Health and Health Care Systems (RTHS) program, which supports policy-relevant, community-engaged research on current or potential policies to transform health and health care systems. The goal of the study is to assess how state-level health insurance benefit mandates impact affordability and access to services for fertility preservation among pediatric, adolescent, and young adult Hispanic/Latino cancer patients in California. The study seeks to assess whether Hispanic/Latino cancer patients experience disparities in access to and affordability of fertility preservation services following implementation of the mandate; understand how the policy and its downstream implementation processes impact disparities; and identify best practices for implementation strategies. The research team plans to use a mixed methods approach, collecting data from newly diagnosed cancer patients about their experiences with insurance benefits and services for fertility preservation; the patient data will be integrated with data on implementation of the mandate collected from the state insurance regulator, a sample of insurance plans, and fertility clinics. The research team is comprised of a partnership between an academic institution, University of California San Diego, and a cancer navigation non-profit organization, Cancer Resource Center of the Desert. Deliverables will include a project work plan and annual and final narrative and financial reports, as well as a range of products to reach policymakers and other audiences for study findings.

Principal Investigator(s)

Irene Su headshot
Researcher

H. Irene Su, M.D., MSCE

Professor - University of California, San Diego

Irene Su is Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science in the Division of Reproductive Endoc... Read Bio

Palomino headshot
Researcher

Helen Palomino, MSW

Chief Executive Officer - Cancer Resource Center of the Desert

Helen Palomino is a clinical social worker and CEO of the Cancer Resource Center of the Desert. Read Bio