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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 4 of 4 Research Studies DisplayedDecker S, Dworsky M, Gibson TB
AHRQ Author: Decker S
The Impact of the Affordable Care Act Insurance Expansions on Opioid-Related Emergency Department Visits.
The authors leveraged ACA coverage expansions, including Medicaid expansion and Marketplaces, to study the impact of health insurance on opioid-related emergency department (ED) visits. They used ZIP-code–level ED utilization data from HCUP’s State Inpatient Databases (SID) and State Emergency Department Databases (SEDD) for 29 states. They found evidence of a dose-response relationship between pre-ACA uninsured and changes in ED visit rates in both expansion and non-expansion states: areas with higher uninsured rates prior to ACA saw larger reductions in opioid-related ED visits after the ACA took effect. The authors concluded that these findings suggest that increased insurance coverage may to help mitigate the opioid crisis.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Decker S, Dworsky M, Gibson TB .
The Impact of the Affordable Care Act Insurance Expansions on Opioid-Related Emergency Department Visits.
American Journal of Health Economics 2023 Sum; 9(3):405–34..
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Opioids, Policy, Health Insurance, Emergency Department, Access to Care, Medicaid, Healthcare Utilization
Vasan A, Kenyon CC, Fiks AG
Continuous eligibility and coverage policies expanded children's Medicaid enrollment.
Researchers examined children's participation in Medicaid during 2019-21. Their findings found that states that had adopted continuous Medicaid coverage for children during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced a 4.62 percent relative increase in children's Medicaid participation when compared with states with existing continuous eligibility policies.
AHRQ-funded; HS028555.
Citation: Vasan A, Kenyon CC, Fiks AG .
Continuous eligibility and coverage policies expanded children's Medicaid enrollment.
Health Aff 2023 Jun; 42(6):753-58. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2022.01465..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Medicaid, Policy, Health Insurance, Access to Care
Quinlan TAG, Lindrooth RC, Guiahi M
Medicaid payment for postpartum long-acting reversible contraception prompts more equitable use.
In addition to providing a global payment for maternity care, an increasing number of state Medicaid programs pay for immediate postpartum long-acting reversible contraception (LARC). The purpose of this study was to examine postpartum LARC utilization by race and ethnicity and overall among respondents with Medicaid-paid births during 2012-2018 in eight states that implemented immediate postpartum LARC payment and eight states without immediate postpartum LARC payment. The study found that the policy resulted in a 2.1-percentage-point increase in postpartum LARC use overall. Further analysis found no significant change among White mothers and a 3.7-percentage-point increase in use among Black mothers compared with White mothers. The researchers concluded that additional research is required to determine whether the increase was related with patients' preferences and whether hospitals' immediate postpartum LARC policies and practices utilize a patient-centered approach that reinforces reproductive autonomy and equity.
AHRQ-funded; HS028762.
Citation: Quinlan TAG, Lindrooth RC, Guiahi M .
Medicaid payment for postpartum long-acting reversible contraception prompts more equitable use.
Health Aff 2023 May; 42(5):665-73. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2022.01178..
Keywords: Medicaid, Maternal Care, Women, Access to Care, Policy
Meille G, Post B
AHRQ Author: Meille G
The effects of the Medicaid expansion on hospital utilization, employment, and capital.
This AHRQ-authored paper describes the effect of the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion on hospital utilization, employment, and capital. The authors conducted a difference-in-differences analysis that compared changes to hospital demand and supply in Medicaid expansion and nonexpansion states. They used 2010-2016 data from the American Hospital Association and the Healthcare Cost Report Information System to quantify changes to hospital utilization and characterize how hospitals adjusted labor and capital inputs. Medicaid expansion was associated with increases in emergency department visits and other outpatient hospital visits. They found strong evidence that hospitals met increases in demand by hiring nursing staff and weaker evidence that they increased hiring of technicians and investments in equipment. They found no evidence that hospitals adjusted hiring of physicians, support staff, or investments in other capital inputs.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Meille G, Post B .
The effects of the Medicaid expansion on hospital utilization, employment, and capital.
Med Care Res Rev 2023 Apr;80(2):165-74. doi: 10.1177/10775587221133165.
Keywords: Medicaid, Hospitals, Healthcare Utilization, Health Insurance, Policy, Access to Care, Uninsured