National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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- Access to Care (3)
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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 13 of 13 Research Studies DisplayedMellor JM, McInerney M, Garrow RC
The impact of Medicaid expansion on spending and utilization by older low-income Medicare beneficiaries.
This study examined indirect spillover effects of Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansions to working-age adults on health care coverage, spending, and utilization by older low-income Medicare beneficiaries. The authors used data from the 2010-2018 Health and Retirement Study survey linked to annual Medicare beneficiary summary files. They estimated individual-level difference-in-differences models of total spending for inpatient, institutional outpatient, physician/professional provider services; inpatient stays, outpatient visits, physician visits; and Medicaid and Part A and B Medicare coverage. They also compared changes in outcomes before and after Medicaid expansion in expansion versus nonexpansion states. The sample included low-income respondents aged 69 and older with linked Medicare data, enrolled in full-year traditional Medicare, and living in the community. ACA Medicaid expansion was associated with a 9.8 percentage point increase in Medicaid coverage, a 4.4 percentage point increase in having any institutional outpatient spending, and a positive but statistically insignificant 2.4 percentage point change in Part B enrollment.
AHRQ-funded; HS025422.
Citation: Mellor JM, McInerney M, Garrow RC .
The impact of Medicaid expansion on spending and utilization by older low-income Medicare beneficiaries.
Health Serv Res 2023 Oct; 58(5):1024-34. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.14155..
Keywords: Medicaid, Medicare, Low-Income, Healthcare Utilization, Healthcare Costs, Health Insurance
Wu AJ, Du N, Chen TY
Sociodemographic differences of hospitalization and associations of resource utilization for failure to thrive.
The objective of this study was to examine sociodemographic differences between elective and nonelective admissions for failure to thrive. Researchers investigated associations between admission type and hospital resource utilization, including length of stay and feeding tube placement. The study included data on children less than 2 years old with failure to thrive in the Kids' Inpatient Database. The findings showed differences by race and ethnicity, income, and insurance type, among other factors. Nonelective admissions had higher proportions of infants who were Black, Hispanic, and of lower-income, and were associated with longer lengths of stay. The researchers concluded that future research is needed to elucidate drivers of these differences, particularly those related to racial and ethnic disparities and structural racism.
AHRQ-funded; HS000063.
Citation: Wu AJ, Du N, Chen TY .
Sociodemographic differences of hospitalization and associations of resource utilization for failure to thrive.
J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2023 Mar;76(3):385-89. doi: 10.1097/mpg.0000000000003694.
Keywords: Newborns/Infants, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Hospitalization, Healthcare Utilization, Children/Adolescents, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Low-Income
Fung V, Price M, Nierenberg AA
Assessment of behavioral health services use among low-income Medicare beneficiaries after reductions in coinsurance fees.
This study looked at outcomes from reducing behavioral health care Medicare coinsurance from 50% to 20% from 2009 to 2013. The sample of patients looked at included some diagnosed with SMI (serious mental illness) including schizophrenia, bipolar, or major depressive disorder). Data analysis was performed on 793,275 beneficiaries with SMI in 2008 and compared them with costs in 2013. The mean adjusted out-of-pocket costs for outpatient behavioral care decreased from $132 annually to $64, but the number of visits only increased slightly. No association was found between cost-sharing reductions and changes in behavioral health care visits.
AHRQ-funded; HS024725.
Citation: Fung V, Price M, Nierenberg AA .
Assessment of behavioral health services use among low-income Medicare beneficiaries after reductions in coinsurance fees.
JAMA Netw Open 2020 Oct;3(10):e2019854. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.19854..
Keywords: Medicare, Health Insurance, Depression, Behavioral Health, Low-Income, Healthcare Costs, Healthcare Utilization
Wong MS, Arnold CM, Roberts ET
The relationship between federal housing assistance and uptake of cancer screening among low-income adults.
The primary aim of this study was to examine the relationship between participation in federal housing assistance programs and self-reported cancer screening among low-income adults. The investigators concluded that their results reinforced the need to improve rates of screening and suggested that providing housing assistance, in and of itself, may be insufficient to overcome the multiple access barriers that low-income populations face.
AHRQ-funded; HS000029.
Citation: Wong MS, Arnold CM, Roberts ET .
The relationship between federal housing assistance and uptake of cancer screening among low-income adults.
J Gen Intern Med 2019 Dec;34(12):2714-16. doi: 10.1007/s11606-019-05037-z..
Keywords: Cancer, Screening, Low-Income, Vulnerable Populations, Access to Care, Healthcare Utilization, Social Determinants of Health
Heintzman J, Kaufmann J, Ezekiel-Herrera D
Asthma/COPD disparities in diagnosis and basic care utilization among low-income primary care patients.
Obstructive pulmonary disease outcomes in the United States differ between Latinos and non-Hispanic whites. There is little objective data about diagnosis prevalence and primary care visit frequency in these disease processes. In this study, the investigators used electronic health record data to perform a retrospective cohort analysis of 34,849 low-income patients seen at Oregon community health centers between 2009 and 2013 to assess joint racial/ethnic and insurance disparities in diagnosis and visit rates between Latino and non-Hispanic white patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS021522.
Citation: Heintzman J, Kaufmann J, Ezekiel-Herrera D .
Asthma/COPD disparities in diagnosis and basic care utilization among low-income primary care patients.
J Immigr Minor Health 2019 Jun;21(3):659-63. doi: 10.1007/s10903-018-0798-2..
Keywords: Asthma, Respiratory Conditions, Chronic Conditions, Disparities, Healthcare Utilization, Low-Income, Primary Care
Rivera-Hernandez M, Rahman M, Galarraga O
Preventive healthcare-seeking behavior among poor older adults in Mexico: the impact of Seguro Popular, 2000-2012.
This study examined the effect of the Seguro Popular (SP) program in Mexico on preventive care utilization among low-income and uninsured elder beneficiaries. Results of three rounds of the Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey from 2000, 2006, and 2012 was used. The findings show there was no significant effect on the use of preventive services, including screening for diabetes, hypertension, breast cancer and cervical cancer for adults aged 50 to 75 years.
AHRQ-funded; HS000011.
Citation: Rivera-Hernandez M, Rahman M, Galarraga O .
Preventive healthcare-seeking behavior among poor older adults in Mexico: the impact of Seguro Popular, 2000-2012.
Salud Publica Mex 2019 Jan-Feb;61(1):46-53. doi: 10.21149/9185..
Keywords: Elderly, Low-Income, Prevention, Healthcare Utilization, Access to Care, Uninsured
Ghosh A, Simon K, Sommers BD
The effect of health insurance on prescription drug use among low-income adults: evidence from recent Medicaid expansions.
This study examined how subsidized coverage affected prescription drug utilization among low-income non-elderly adults. Among other results, the investigators found that within the first 15 months of new health insurance availability, aggregate Medicaid-paid prescriptions increased 19 percent, amounting to nearly 9 new prescriptions a year, per new enrollee. They also found no evidence of reductions in uninsured or privately-insured prescriptions, suggesting that new coverage did not simply substitute for other payment sources.
AHRQ-funded; HS021291.
Citation: Ghosh A, Simon K, Sommers BD .
The effect of health insurance on prescription drug use among low-income adults: evidence from recent Medicaid expansions.
J Health Econ 2019 Jan;63:64-80. doi: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2018.11.002..
Keywords: Health Insurance, Healthcare Utilization, Low-Income, Medicaid, Medication
Bradley CJ, Neumark D, Walker LS
The effect of primary care visits on other health care utilization: a randomized controlled trial of cash incentives offered to low income, uninsured adults in Virginia.
Investigators recruited low-income uninsured adults in Virginia to determine whether cash incentives would encourage primary care provider (PCP) visits as opposed to going to the hospital emergency room. This randomized, controlled trial determined that PCP visits did increase but no reductions in overall costs occurred there was an offset from increased outpatient utilization.
AHRQ-funded; HS022534.
Citation: Bradley CJ, Neumark D, Walker LS .
The effect of primary care visits on other health care utilization: a randomized controlled trial of cash incentives offered to low income, uninsured adults in Virginia.
J Health Econ 2018 Nov;62:121-33. doi: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2018.07.006..
Keywords: Healthcare Utilization, Health Insurance, Low-Income, Primary Care, Uninsured, Vulnerable Populations
Lines LM, Rosen AB, Ash AS
Enhancing administrative data to predict emergency department utilization: the role of neighborhood sociodemographics.
Much of emergency department (ED) use is avoidable, and high-quality primary care can reduce it, but performance measures related to ED use may be inadequately risk-adjusted. To explore associations between ED use and neighborhood poverty, a secondary analysis of Massachusetts managed care network data, 2009-2011, was conducted.
AHRQ-funded; HS022194.
Citation: Lines LM, Rosen AB, Ash AS .
Enhancing administrative data to predict emergency department utilization: the role of neighborhood sociodemographics.
J Health Care Poor Underserved 2017;28(4):1487-508. doi: 10.1353/hpu.2017.0129..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Low-Income, Social Determinants of Health, Healthcare Utilization
Sommers BD, Blendon RJ, Orav EJ
Changes in utilization and health among low-income adults after Medicaid expansion or expanded private insurance.
The researchers assessed changes in access to care, utilization, and self-reported health among low-income adults in 3 states taking alternative approaches to the ACA. They concluded that in the second year of expansion, Kentucky's Medicaid program and Arkansas's private option were associated with significant increases in outpatient utilization, preventive care, and improved health care quality; reductions in emergency department use; and improved self-reported health.
AHRQ-funded; HS021291.
Citation: Sommers BD, Blendon RJ, Orav EJ .
Changes in utilization and health among low-income adults after Medicaid expansion or expanded private insurance.
JAMA Intern Med 2016 Oct;176(10):1501-09. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.4419.
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Keywords: Healthcare Utilization, Low-Income, Health Insurance, Medicaid, Access to Care
Lee J, Ding R, Zeger SL
Impact of subsidized health insurance coverage on emergency department utilization by low-income adults in Massachusetts.
The authors aimed to estimate the change in emergency department (ED) utilization per individual among a cohort who qualified for subsidized health insurance following the Massachusetts health care reform. They concluded that expanding subsidized health insurance did not uniformly change ED utilization for all newly insured low-income adults in Massachusetts.
AHRQ-funded; HS017957.
Citation: Lee J, Ding R, Zeger SL .
Impact of subsidized health insurance coverage on emergency department utilization by low-income adults in Massachusetts.
Med Care 2015 Jan;53(1):38-44. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000000279.
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Keywords: Emergency Department, Healthcare Utilization, Health Insurance, Policy, Low-Income
Allgood KL, Rauscher GH, Whitman S
Validating self-reported mammography use in vulnerable communities: findings and recommendations.
The researchers examined the potential extent of overreporting of mammography use in low-income African-American and Latina women, and whether self-report inaccuracies might bias estimated associations between patient characteristics and mammography use. They found that although 73% of women self-reported a mammogram in the last 2 years, only 44% of self-reports were documented. Overreporting of mammography use was observed for all ethnic groups studied.
AHRQ-funded; HS018366.
Citation: Allgood KL, Rauscher GH, Whitman S .
Validating self-reported mammography use in vulnerable communities: findings and recommendations.
Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2014 Aug;23(8):1649-58. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.epi-13-1253.
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Keywords: Healthcare Utilization, Vulnerable Populations, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Women, Low-Income, Urban Health
Schwartz AL, Sommers BD
Moving for Medicaid? Recent eligibility expansions did not induce migration from other states.
This study used 26 measures of low value services to examine service use and associated spending detected by these measures in Medicaid. In the six categories of care measured, services detected by a limited number of measures of low-value care constituted modest proportions of overall spending (2.7 percent) but affected 42 percent of beneficiaries.
AHRQ-funded; HS00055; HS021291
Citation: Schwartz AL, Sommers BD .
Moving for Medicaid? Recent eligibility expansions did not induce migration from other states.
Health Aff. 2014 Jan;33(1):88-94. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2013.0910..
Keywords: Medicaid, Healthcare Costs, Low-Income, Healthcare Utilization