National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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- (-) Access to Care (9)
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AHRQ Research Studies
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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 9 of 9 Research Studies DisplayedRoberts ET, Kwon Y, Hames AG
Racial and ethnic disparities in health care use and access associated with loss of Medicaid supplemental insurance eligibility above the federal poverty level.
The purpose of this study was to examine whether exceeding the income threshold for Medicaid, which causes a sudden loss of Medicaid eligibility, is related with higher racial and ethnic disparities in access to and use of care. The researchers evaluated Medicare beneficiaries with incomes 0% to 200% of FPL from the 2008 to 2018 biennial waves of the Health and Retirement Study linked to Medicare administrative data. To identify racial and ethnic disparities related with the loss of Medicaid eligibility, the researchers compared discontinuities in outcomes among Black and Hispanic beneficiaries and White beneficiaries. Analyses were conducted between January 1, 2022, and October 1, 2022. The primary outcomes were patient-reported challenges accessing care due to cost and outpatient service use, medication fills, and hospitalizations measured from Medicare administrative data. The study included 8,144 participants representing 151,282, 957 weighted person-years in the community-dwelling population of Medicare beneficiaries aged 50 years and older and incomes less than 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL). Study findings indicate that exceeding the Medicaid eligibility threshold was related with a 43.8 percentage point (pp) lower probability of Medicaid enrollment among Black and Hispanic Medicare beneficiaries and a 31.0 pp lower probability of Medicaid enrollment among White beneficiaries. Among Black and Hispanic beneficiaries, exceeding the threshold was associated with increased cost-related barriers to care, lower outpatient use, and fewer medication fills, but it was not associated with a statistically significant discontinuity in hospitalizations. Discontinuities in these outcomes were smaller or nonsignificant among White beneficiaries. Consequently, exceeding the threshold was associated with widened disparities, including greater reductions in outpatient service use and medication fills among Black and Hispanic vs White beneficiaries.
AHRQ-funded; HS026727.
Citation: Roberts ET, Kwon Y, Hames AG .
Racial and ethnic disparities in health care use and access associated with loss of Medicaid supplemental insurance eligibility above the federal poverty level.
JAMA Intern Med 2023 Jun; 183(6):534-43. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2023.0512..
Keywords: Disparities, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Medicaid, Access to Care, Health Insurance, Low-Income, Access to Care
Auty SG, Aswani MS, Wahbi RN
Changes in health care access by race, income, and Medicaid expansion during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This study examined changes in access to care during the COVID-19 pandemic, stratified by race/ethnicity, household income, and state Medicaid expansion status. Data were extracted for all adults (N = 1,731,699) aged 18-64 surveyed in the 2015-2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The pandemic was associated with a 1.2 percentage point decline in uninsurance for Medicaid expansion states, with reductions concentrated among respondents who were Black, multiracial, or low income. Rates of uninsurance were generally stable in nonexpansion states. Rates of avoided care because of cost fell by 3.5 percentage points in Medicaid expansion states, and by 3.6 percentage points in nonexpansion states. These declines were also concentrated among minority or low-income respondents.
AHRQ-funded; HS026395.
Citation: Auty SG, Aswani MS, Wahbi RN .
Changes in health care access by race, income, and Medicaid expansion during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Med Care 2023 Jan;61(1):45-49. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001788..
Keywords: COVID-19, Access to Care, Medicaid, Public Health, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Low-Income
Moriya AS, Chakravarty S
AHRQ Author: Moriya AS
Racial and ethnic disparities in preventable hospitalizations and ED visits five years after ACA Medicaid expansions,.
This AHRQ-authored paper examined whether the 2014 Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansions mitigated existing racial or ethnic disparities in preventable hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits. The authors used inpatient data from twenty-nine states and ED data from twenty-six states for the period 2011 to 2018. They found that Medicaid expansions decreased disparities in preventable hospitalizations and ED visits between non-Hispanic Black and White nonelderly adults by 10 percent or more. There were no significant effects on disparities between Hispanic and non-Hispanic White nonelderly adults. Their findings highlight sustained improvements in community-level care for non-Hispanic Black populations, but also suggest access barriers experienced by Hispanic adults that need to be addressed beyond Medicaid eligibility expansion.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Moriya AS, Chakravarty S .
Racial and ethnic disparities in preventable hospitalizations and ED visits five years after ACA Medicaid expansions,.
Health Aff 2023 Jan; 42(1):26-34. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2022.00460..
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Emergency Department, Hospitalization, Disparities, Medicaid, Health Insurance, Access to Care
Steenland MW, Wilson IB, Matteson KA
Association of Medicaid expansion in Arkansas with postpartum coverage, outpatient care, and racial disparities.
This study’s objective was to measure the association of Medicaid expansion in Arkansas with postpartum coverage, outpatient care, and racial disparities. A total of 60,990 childbirths were reviewed from January 1, 2014 on with a total of 72.3% paid for by Medicaid and 27.7% paid for by a commercial payer. The mean age of the birthing person was 27; with 67% White, 22% Black, and 7% Hispanic. Medicaid expansion in Arkansas was associated with a 27.8 percentage point increase in continuous insurance coverage and an increase in outpatient visits of 0.9 during the first 6 months postpartum, representing relative increases of 54.9% and 75.0%, respectively. Racial disparities in postpartum coverage decreased from 6.3 percentage points before expansion to -2.0 after. However, disparities in outpatient care after expansion persisted between Black and White individuals.
AHRQ-funded; HS027464.
Citation: Steenland MW, Wilson IB, Matteson KA .
Association of Medicaid expansion in Arkansas with postpartum coverage, outpatient care, and racial disparities.
JAMA Health Forum 2021 Dec;2(12):e214167. doi: 10.1001/jamahealthforum.2021.4167..
Keywords: Medicaid, Maternal Care, Pregnancy, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Disparities, Policy, Women, Access to Care
Angier H, Ezekiel-Herera D, Marino M
Racial/ethnic disparities in health insurance and differences in visit type for a population of patients with diabetes after Medicaid Expansion.
Racial/ethnic disparities in health insurance and differences in visit type for a population of patients with diabetes after Medicaid Expansion.
AHRQ-funded; HS024270.
Citation: Angier H, Ezekiel-Herera D, Marino M .
Racial/ethnic disparities in health insurance and differences in visit type for a population of patients with diabetes after Medicaid Expansion.
J Health Care Poor Underserved 2019;30(1):116-30. doi: 10.1353/hpu.2019.0011.
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Keywords: Access to Care, Diabetes, Disparities, Health Insurance, Medicaid, Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Allen CD
Who loses public health insurance when states pass restrictive omnibus immigration-related laws? The moderating role of county Latino density.
Using comparative interrupted time series methods and a nationally-representative sample of US citizen, Latino children with noncitizen parents from the National Health Interview Survey (2005-2014, n=18,118), this study found that living in counties with higher co-ethnic density placed children at greater risk of losing Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program coverage when their states passed restrictive state omnibus immigrant laws.
AHRQ-funded; HS024248.
Citation: Allen CD .
Who loses public health insurance when states pass restrictive omnibus immigration-related laws? The moderating role of county Latino density.
Health Place 2018 Nov;54:20-28. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2018.08.023..
Keywords: Access to Care, Children/Adolescents, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Health Insurance, Medicaid, Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Barnett ML, Clark KL, Sommers BD
State policies and enrollees' experiences in Medicaid: evidence from a new national survey.
This study examined patient satisfaction among Medicaid enrollees nationally from 2014-2015. Significant disparities were found among racial/ethnic groups. Managed care enrollees had higher satisfaction ratings than those with fee-for-service. If the patient had a personal doctor that increased satisfaction for an average 4.6 percent.
AHRQ-funded; HS021291.
Citation: Barnett ML, Clark KL, Sommers BD .
State policies and enrollees' experiences in Medicaid: evidence from a new national survey.
Health Aff 2018 Oct;37(10):1647-55. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2018.0505..
Keywords: Access to Care, Disparities, Medicaid, Patient Experience, Policy, Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Yucel A, Essien EJ, Sanyal S
Racial/ethnic differences in the treatment of adolescent major depressive disorders (MDD) across healthcare providers participating in the Medicaid program.
The purpose of this study was to examine whether racial/ethnic differences in receipt of major depressive disorder (MDD) treatment could be explained by the specialty of provider diagnosing the adolescent. The investigators found that for adolescents with MDD, being first diagnosed by a psychiatrist was associated with higher treatment rate and reduced racial/ethnic variation in the utilization of pharmacotherapy.
AHRQ-funded; HS025251.
Citation: Yucel A, Essien EJ, Sanyal S .
Racial/ethnic differences in the treatment of adolescent major depressive disorders (MDD) across healthcare providers participating in the Medicaid program.
J Affect Disord 2018 Aug 1;235:155-61. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2018.04.045..
Keywords: Access to Care, Depression, Disparities, Medicaid, Behavioral Health, Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Roman LA, Raffo JE, Dertz K
Understanding perspectives of African American Medicaid-insured women on the process of perinatal care: an opportunity for systems improvement.
The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of Medicaid-insured women about their experiences of perinatal care across a continuum of clinical and community-based services. It found that many women experienced difficulties engaging in early care, getting more help, and understanding and communicating with their providers, with some reporting socio-economic and racial bias in care.
AHRQ-funded; HS020208.
Citation: Roman LA, Raffo JE, Dertz K .
Understanding perspectives of African American Medicaid-insured women on the process of perinatal care: an opportunity for systems improvement.
Matern Child Health J 2017 Dec;21(Suppl 1):81-92. doi: 10.1007/s10995-017-2372-2.
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Keywords: Access to Care, Maternal Care, Medicaid, Pregnancy, Racial and Ethnic Minorities