National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
Latest available findings on quality of and access to health care
Data
- Data Infographics
- Data Visualizations
- Data Tools
- Data Innovations
- All-Payer Claims Database
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)
- Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)
- AHRQ Quality Indicator Tools for Data Analytics
- State Snapshots
- United States Health Information Knowledgebase (USHIK)
- Data Sources Available from AHRQ
Search All Research Studies
Topics
- Access to Care (3)
- Behavioral Health (2)
- Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) (1)
- Children/Adolescents (1)
- Community-Based Practice (1)
- Disparities (1)
- Emergency Department (1)
- Healthcare Costs (2)
- Healthcare Utilization (1)
- Health Insurance (11)
- Low-Income (3)
- Medicaid (5)
- (-) Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) (13)
- Medication (1)
- Policy (5)
- (-) Uninsured (13)
AHRQ Research Studies
Sign up: AHRQ Research Studies Email updates
Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 13 of 13 Research Studies DisplayedBerdahl TA, Moriya AS
AHRQ Author: Berdahl TA, Moriya AS
Insurance coverage for non-standard workers: experiences of temporary workers, freelancers, and part-time workers in the USA, 2010-2017.
This AHRQ-authored paper estimates insurance disparities across non-standard employment categories and determines how coverage disparities shifted following health reform in 2014. Data on working-age adults was analyzed from the 2010-2012 and 2015-2017 MEPS. Uninsurance decreased after health reform for all groups of nonstandard workers with a 10-14% point decline. Uninsurance remained high for all freelance workers at 30.8%, full-time temporary workers (25.1%) and part-time workers (17.9%) compared to full-time workers (11.9%). Lower uninsurance in a Medicaid expansion state was found for all categories of workers.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Berdahl TA, Moriya AS .
Insurance coverage for non-standard workers: experiences of temporary workers, freelancers, and part-time workers in the USA, 2010-2017.
J Gen Intern Med 2021 Jul;36(7):1997-2003. doi: 10.1007/s11606-021-06700-0..
Keywords: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Health Insurance, Policy, Uninsured, Medicaid, Low-Income
Zuvekas SH, McClellan CB, Ali MM
AHRQ Author: Zuvekas SH, McClellan CB
Medicaid expansion and health insurance coverage and treatment utilization among individuals with a mental health condition.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Zuvekas SH, McClellan CB, Ali MM .
Medicaid expansion and health insurance coverage and treatment utilization among individuals with a mental health condition.
J Ment Health Policy Econ 2020 Sep 1;23(3):151-82..
Keywords: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Behavioral Health, Medicaid, Health Insurance, Access to Care, Healthcare Utilization, Policy, Uninsured
Keenan PS, Jacobs PD, Miller GE
AHRQ Author: Kennan PS, Jacobs PD, Miller GE
Despite coverage gains, one-third of people in small-firm low-income families were uninsured in 2014-15.
Using data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, the investigators examined health insurance coverage for workers at small firms and the self-employed and found that the overall uninsurance rate for these workers and their families declined by 5 percentage points over the past decade, but one-third of those with lower incomes remained uninsured in 2014-15.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Keenan PS, Jacobs PD, Miller GE .
Despite coverage gains, one-third of people in small-firm low-income families were uninsured in 2014-15.
Health Aff 2018 Oct;37(10):1673-77. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2018.0479..
Keywords: Health Insurance, Low-Income, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Uninsured
Berdahl TA, Moriya AS
AHRQ Author: Berdahl TA, Moriya AS
Difference in uninsurance rates between full- and part-time workers declined in 2014.
This study examined uninsurance rates between full and part time workers using data from 2010-2015. The authors found that uninsurance declined more for part-time workers, with pathways to coverage varying by state Medicaid expansion status.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Berdahl TA, Moriya AS .
Difference in uninsurance rates between full- and part-time workers declined in 2014.
Health Aff 2018 Oct;37(10):1669-72. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2018.0345.
.
.
Keywords: Health Insurance, Medicaid, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Uninsured
Vistnes JP, Cohen JW
AHRQ Author: Vistnes JP, Cohen JW
Duration of uninsured spells for nonelderly adults declined after 2014.
Using MEPS data, the authors found that nonelderly respondents in 2014-15, following implementation of ACA coverage provisions, experienced shorter periods of being uninsured than did respondents in 2012-13 and 2013-14, especially for people with preexisting health conditions.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Vistnes JP, Cohen JW .
Duration of uninsured spells for nonelderly adults declined after 2014.
Health Aff 2018 Jun;37(6):951-55. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2017.1638.
.
.
Keywords: Health Insurance, Policy, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Uninsured
Abdus S, Decker SL
AHRQ Author: Abdus S, Decker SL
The long-term uninsured were less likely than the short-term uninsured to gain insurance in 2014.
This study assessed the probability of having insurance in at least 1 month of 2014 for a sample of US citizens aged 19–63 who were uninsured in December 2013. It found that among those uninsured at the end of 2013, 2014 insurance take-up was lower the longer a person had been uninsured.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Abdus S, Decker SL .
The long-term uninsured were less likely than the short-term uninsured to gain insurance in 2014.
J Gen Intern Med 2018 May;33(5):593-95. doi: 10.1007/s11606-018-4365-2.
.
.
Keywords: Healthcare Costs, Health Insurance, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Uninsured
Kirby JB, Cohen JW
AHRQ Author: Kirby JB, Cohen JW
Do people with health insurance coverage who live in areas with high uninsurance rates pay more for emergency department visits?
This study investigated the relationship between the percent uninsured in a county and expenditures associated with the typical emergency department visit. Among those with private insurance, it found that an increase of 1 percentage point in the county uninsurance rate is associated with a $20 increase in the mean emergency department payment. No such association was observed among visits covered by other insurance types.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Kirby JB, Cohen JW .
Do people with health insurance coverage who live in areas with high uninsurance rates pay more for emergency department visits?
Health Serv Res 2018 Apr;53(2):768-86. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12659.
.
.
Keywords: Emergency Department, Healthcare Costs, Health Insurance, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Uninsured
Kirby JB, Sharma R
AHRQ Author: Kirby JB
The availability of community health center services and access to medical care.
This study examined the associations between the availability of Community Health Centers (CHCs) services in communities and two key measures of ambulatory care access - having a usual source of care and having any office-based medical visits over a one year period. It found that the availability of CHC services was positively associated with both measures of access among those with no insurance coverage.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Kirby JB, Sharma R .
The availability of community health center services and access to medical care.
Healthc 2017 Dec;5(4):174-82. doi: 10.1016/j.hjdsi.2016.12.006.
.
.
Keywords: Access to Care, Community-Based Practice, Medicaid, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Uninsured
Yabroff KR, Kirby J, Zodet M
AHRQ Author: Kirby J, Zodet M
Association of insurance gains and losses with access to prescription drugs.
The researchers used longitudinal data to assess the effects of insurance gains and losses on prescription drug access. Their findings that unmet need for prescription drugs declined among initially uninsured adults who gained coverage and doubled among initially insured adults who lost coverage provide longitudinal evidence that having and maintaining health insurance is a key protection against unmet need for prescription drugs in a nationally representative sample.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Yabroff KR, Kirby J, Zodet M .
Association of insurance gains and losses with access to prescription drugs.
JAMA Intern Med 2017 Oct;177(10):1531-32. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2017.4011.
.
.
Keywords: Access to Care, Health Insurance, Medication, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Uninsured
Novak P, Williams-Parry KF, Chen J
AHRQ Author: Novak P
Racial and ethnic disparities among the remaining uninsured young adults with behavioral health disorders after the ACA expansion of dependent coverage.
The objective of this study is to explore the population characteristics of the remaining uninsured individuals with and without behavioral health disorders (BHDs) and to examine whether the factors that contribute to racial and ethnic disparities in the likelihood of being uninsured were different after ACA. The major factor associated with the ethnic disparity among those with BHDs was the immigrant status of Latinos, and the major factor associated with racial disparity was geographic location.
AHRQ-authored; AHRQ-funded; HS022135.
Citation: Novak P, Williams-Parry KF, Chen J .
Racial and ethnic disparities among the remaining uninsured young adults with behavioral health disorders after the ACA expansion of dependent coverage.
J Racial Ethn Health Disparities 2017 Aug;4(4):607-14. doi: 10.1007/s40615-016-0264-6.
.
.
Keywords: Behavioral Health, Disparities, Policy, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Uninsured
Vistnes JP, Cohen JW
AHRQ Author: Vistnes JP, Cohen JW
Gaining coverage in 2014: new estimates of marketplace and Medicaid transitions.
The researchers used data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey-Household Component to examine coverage transitions for nonelderly US adults. They found that 71.5 percent of Marketplace enrollees in 2014 had some period of uninsurance before enrollment. In Medicaid expansion states, 17.4 percent of adults who were uninsured throughout 2013 gained Medicaid coverage in 2014, compared with only 5.6 percent in those states between 2012 and 2013.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Vistnes JP, Cohen JW .
Gaining coverage in 2014: new estimates of marketplace and Medicaid transitions.
Health Aff 2016 Oct 1;35(10):1825-29. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2016.0500.
.
.
Keywords: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Health Insurance, Medicaid, Uninsured, Policy
DeVoe JE, Tillotson CJ, Marino M
Trends in type of health insurance coverage for US children and their parents, 1998-2011.
The objective of this paper is to examine trends in health insurance type among US children and their parents. Using Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data (1998-2011), the authors found that low- and middle-income US families experienced a decrease in the percentage of child-parent pairs with private health insurance and pairs without insurance. At the same time, they found a rise in discordant coverage patterns - mainly publicly insured children with uninsured parents.
AHRQ-funded; HS018569.
Citation: DeVoe JE, Tillotson CJ, Marino M .
Trends in type of health insurance coverage for US children and their parents, 1998-2011.
Acad Pediatr 2016 Mar;16(2):192-9. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2015.06.009.
.
.
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Health Insurance, Low-Income, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Uninsured
DeVoe JE, Tillotson CJ, Angier H
Predictors of children's health insurance coverage discontinuity in 1998 versus 2009: parental coverage continuity plays a major role.
This study examines the strength of association between known and potential predictors of children’s health insurance continuity in both 1998 and 2009. It found that, compared to children with at least one parent continuously covered, children whose parents did not have continuous coverage had a significantly higher relative risk of a coverage gap.
AHRQ-funded; HS018569.
Citation: DeVoe JE, Tillotson CJ, Angier H .
Predictors of children's health insurance coverage discontinuity in 1998 versus 2009: parental coverage continuity plays a major role.
Matern Child Health J 2015 Apr;19(4):889-96. doi: 10.1007/s10995-014-1590-0.
.
.
Keywords: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Uninsured, Health Insurance