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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
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1 to 6 of 6 Research Studies DisplayedCreedon TB, Zuvekas SH, Hill SC
AHRQ Author: Zuvekas SH, Hill SC, McClellan C
Effects of Medicaid expansion on insurance coverage and health services use among adults with disabilities newly eligible for Medicaid.
The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansion on insurance coverage and health services use for adults with disabilities newly eligible for Medicaid. The researchers utilized the 2008-2018 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) PUBSIM model to identify adults between the ages of 26-64 years with disabilities who were newly Medicaid-eligible in expansion states or would have been eligible in non-expansion states if those states had opted in to ACA Medicaid expansion. The study found that among adults with disabilities who were newly eligible for Medicaid, Medicaid expansion was associated with significant increases in full-year Medicaid coverage, receipt of primary care, receipt of flu shots and a significant decrease in out-of-pocket spending. There were greater improvements for adults with disabilities compared to those without disabilities in full-year Medicaid coverage and receipt of flu shots. The researchers concluded that Medicaid expansion was associated with improvements in full-year insurance coverage, receipt of primary and preventive care, and out-of-pocket spending for adults with disabilities who were newly eligible for Medicaid, and there were greater improvements for adults with disabilities than for adults without disabilities.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Creedon TB, Zuvekas SH, Hill SC .
Effects of Medicaid expansion on insurance coverage and health services use among adults with disabilities newly eligible for Medicaid.
Health Serv Res 2022 Dec;57(suppl 2):183-94. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.14034..
Keywords: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Medicaid, Health Insurance, Disabilities, Policy, Access to Care
Li J, Wu B, Flory J
Impact of the Affordable Care Act's Physician Payments Sunshine Act on branded statin prescribing.
The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of the Affordable Care Act's Physician Payments Sunshine Act (PPSA) and its mandate of disclosing pharmaceutical and medical industry payments to physicians for prescribing branded statins. The study found that the PPSA contributed to a 7% decrease in monthly new prescriptions of brand-name statins over the study period. There was no significant change in generic prescribing. The reduction was concentrated among physicians with the highest tercile of drug spending prior to the enactment of the PPSA, with a decrease of 15% in new branded statin prescriptions. The researchers concluded that the PPSA mandate reduced the prescribing of branded statin prescriptions in the time period following its announcement, especially in physicians who were taking part in excessive prescribing of the branded statins.
AHRQ-funded; HS027001.
Citation: Li J, Wu B, Flory J .
Impact of the Affordable Care Act's Physician Payments Sunshine Act on branded statin prescribing.
Health Serv Res 2022 Oct;57(5):1145-53. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.14024..
Keywords: Payment, Policy, Medicare, Health Insurance
Donohue JM, Cole ES, James CV
The US Medicaid program: coverage, financing, reforms, and implications for health equity.
This article is a literature review of the Medicaid program focusing on Medicaid eligibility, enrollment, and spending and examined areas of Medicaid policy, including managed care, payment, and delivery system reforms; Medicaid expansion; racial and ethnic health disparities; and the potential to achieve health equity. The authors included peer-reviewed articles and reports published between January 2003 and February 2022. Medicaid covered approximately 80.6 million people per month in 2022, representing 16.3% of US health spending. Managed care plans run by states enrolled 69.5% of Medicaid beneficiaries in 2019 and adopted 139 delivery system reforms from 2003 to 2019. Over half (56.4%) of Medicaid beneficiaries were from racial and ethnic minority groups in 2019, and disparities in access, quality, and outcomes are common among these groups within Medicaid. The authors felt that additional Medicaid reforms are needed to reduce health disparities by race and ethnicity and to achieve equity in access, quality, and outcomes.
AHRQ-funded; HS026727.
Citation: Donohue JM, Cole ES, James CV .
The US Medicaid program: coverage, financing, reforms, and implications for health equity.
JAMA 2022 Sep 20;328(11):1085-99. doi: 10.1001/jama.2022.14791..
Keywords: Medicaid, Healthcare Costs, Policy, Health Insurance
Fung V, Yang Z, Cook BL
Changes in insurance coverage continuity after Affordable Care Act expansion of Medicaid eligibility for young adults with low income in Massachusetts.
The purpose of this cohort study was to describe changes in insurance coverage continuity for Medicaid enrollees who turned age 19 years before and after eligibility policy changes from the 2014 Medicaid expansion of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Between November 1, 2020, and May 12, 2022 the researchers analyzed data from the Massachusetts All-Payer Claims Database (2012 to 2016) to compare coverage for Medicaid beneficiaries turning age 19 years before and after Medicaid expansion. A total of 41,247 young adults turning age 18 to 19 years in the baseline year were included in the study. The researchers found that enrollees who turned age 19 after vs before the Medicaid eligibility expansion were less likely to have 3 or more uninsured months at18 to 19 years of age and 19 to 20 years of age and more likely to have continuous insurance coverage for 12 or more months. Differences in the likelihood of having 3 or more uninsured months decreased at 20 to 21 years of age, when both groups had access to Medicaid. The study concluded that among Medicaid enrollees entering adulthood, the expansion of Medicaid to lower-income adults through the 2014 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was associated with a decreased possibility of becoming uninsured.
AHRQ-funded; HS024725.
Citation: Fung V, Yang Z, Cook BL .
Changes in insurance coverage continuity after Affordable Care Act expansion of Medicaid eligibility for young adults with low income in Massachusetts.
JAMA Health Forum 2022 Jul;3(7):e221996. doi: 10.1001/jamahealthforum.2022.1996..
Keywords: Young Adults, Health Insurance, Policy, Medicaid, Access to Care, Low-Income
Escarce JJ, Wozniak GD, Tsipas S
The Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion, social disadvantage, and the practice location choices of new general internists.
This study’s objective was to examine the level of social disadvantage of the areas of Medicaid expansion states from the ACA that gained new physicians and the areas of nonexpansion states that lost them. The authors used American Community Survey data to classify commuting zones as high, medium, or low social disadvantage. The AMA Physician Masterfile data from 2009-2019 was used to compare where 32,102 new general internists located during the 6 years following the expansion to where they located during the 5 years preceding the expansion. They estimated that between 2014 and 2019 nonexpansion states lost 371 new general internists to expansion states. However, 62.5% of the physicians lost by nonexpansion states were lost from high disadvantage areas although those areas only account for 17.9% of the population of nonexpansion states. This potentially compromises access for all residents irrespective of insurance coverage.
AHRQ-funded; HS025750.
Citation: Escarce JJ, Wozniak GD, Tsipas S .
The Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion, social disadvantage, and the practice location choices of new general internists.
Med Care 2022 May;60(5):342-50. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001703..
Keywords: Medicaid, Policy, Provider: Physician, Health Insurance
Dorilas E, Hill SC, Pesko MF
AHRQ Author: Hill SC
Tobacco surcharges associated with reduced ACA marketplace enrollment.
Researchers used 2014-19 administrative data on enrollees in the federally facilitated Affordable Care Act Marketplace, HealthCare.gov, to examine the relationships among surcharge rates, total Marketplace enrollment, and enrollment by tobacco users. They found that the tobacco surcharge rate was associated with lower total enrollment as well as a reduced share of total enrollees who reported any tobacco use. Further, tobacco surcharges have a significantly larger effect on tobacco users' share of enrollment in rural areas than in urban areas, which may contribute to urban-rural health disparities.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Dorilas E, Hill SC, Pesko MF .
Tobacco surcharges associated with reduced ACA marketplace enrollment.
Health Aff 2022 Mar;41(3):398-405. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2021.01313..
Keywords: Tobacco Use, Policy, Health Insurance