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
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 9 of 9 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
Cornelio N, McInerney MP, Mellor JM
Increasing Medicaid's stagnant asset test for people eligible for Medicare and Medicaid will help vulnerable seniors.
Researchers examined states' income and asset tests for full-benefit Medicaid during the period 2006-18 and examined how alternative asset tests would affect eligibility for community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries ages sixty-five and older. They found that increasing asset limits would lessen restrictions on Medicaid eligibility that arise from stagnant asset tests, broadening eligibility for certain low-income Medicare beneficiaries and allowing them to retain higher, yet still modest, savings.
AHRQ-funded; HS025422; HS026727; HS027698.
Citation: Cornelio N, McInerney MP, Mellor JM .
Increasing Medicaid's stagnant asset test for people eligible for Medicare and Medicaid will help vulnerable seniors.
Health Affairs 2021 Dec;40(12):1943-52. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2021.00841..
Keywords: Elderly, Medicaid, Medicare, Low-Income, Vulnerable Populations
McInerney M, Mellor JM, Sabik LM. M, Mellor JM, Sabik LM
Welcome mats and on-ramps for older adults: the impact of the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid Expansions on Dual Enrollment in Medicare and Medicaid.
The authors examined whether Medicaid participation by low-income adults age 65 and up increased as a result of Medicaid expansions to working-age adults under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Using American Community Survey data and state variation in ACA Medicaid expansions, they found that Medicaid expansions to working-age adults increased Medicaid participation among low-income older adults by 4.4 percent. They also found evidence of an “on-ramp” effect, which is an important mechanism behind welcome mat effects among some older adults.
AHRQ-funded; HS025422.
Citation: McInerney M, Mellor JM, Sabik LM. M, Mellor JM, Sabik LM .
Welcome mats and on-ramps for older adults: the impact of the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid Expansions on Dual Enrollment in Medicare and Medicaid.
J Policy Anal Manage 2021 Win;40(1):12-41. doi: 10.1002/pam.22259..
Keywords: Elderly, Medicaid, Medicare, Low-Income, Health Insurance, Policy
Roberts ET, Glynn A, Donohue JM
The relationship between take-up of prescription drug subsidies and Medicaid among low-income Medicare beneficiaries.
In this study, the investigators examined take-up of the Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) and Medicaid among Medicare beneficiaries who qualified for both programs. They went beyond prior analyses that reported average enrollment by program by 1.) examining whether LIS take-up mirrored Medicaid enrollment at income levels where individuals qualified for limited Medicaid benefits that had low take-up rates and 2.) highlighting opportunities for policy reforms to increase participation in both programs.
AHRQ-funded; HS026727.
Citation: Roberts ET, Glynn A, Donohue JM .
The relationship between take-up of prescription drug subsidies and Medicaid among low-income Medicare beneficiaries.
J Gen Intern Med 2021 Sep;36(9):2873-76. doi: 10.1007/s11606-020-06241-y..
Keywords: Medicaid, Medicare, Medication, Low-Income, Health Insurance
Roberts ET, Desai SM
Does Medicaid coverage of Medicare cost sharing affect physician care for dual-eligible Medicare beneficiaries?
The objective of this paper was to assess changes in physicians' provision of care to duals (low-income individuals with Medicare and Medicaid) in response to a policy that required Medicaid to fully pay Medicare's cost sharing for office visits with these patients. This policy-a provision of the Affordable Care Act-effectively increased payments for office visits with duals by 0%-20%, depending on the state, in 2013 and 2014.
AHRQ-funded; HS026727; HS026980.
Citation: Roberts ET, Desai SM .
Does Medicaid coverage of Medicare cost sharing affect physician care for dual-eligible Medicare beneficiaries?
Health Serv Res 2021 Jun;56(3):528-39. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13650..
Keywords: Medicare, Medicaid, Health Insurance, Access to Care, Healthcare Costs, Low-Income
Roberts ET, James AE, Sabik LM
Modernizing Medicaid coverage for Medicare beneficiaries with low income.
Medicaid serves as a supplemental insurer for eleven million low-income Medicare beneficiaries, known as duals. For these beneficiaries, Medicaid pays for Medicare’s out-of-pocket costs, including premiums, deductibles and coinsurance. This paper examined opportunities to close these gaps in Medicaid coverage and discussed how these reforms could complement other efforts to modernize Medicaid for low-income Medicare beneficiaries.
AHRQ-funded; HS026727.
Citation: Roberts ET, James AE, Sabik LM .
Modernizing Medicaid coverage for Medicare beneficiaries with low income.
JAMA Health Forum 2021 Jun;2(6). doi: 10.1001/jamahealthforum.2021.0989..
Keywords: Medicaid, Medicare, Low-Income, Health Insurance, Policy
Roberts ET, Glynn A, Cornelio N
Medicaid coverage 'cliff' increases expenses and decreases care for near-poor Medicare beneficiaries.
Cost sharing in traditional Medicare can consume a substantial portion of the income of beneficiaries who do not have supplemental insurance, resulting in a supplemental coverage cliff. The authors estimated that Medicaid beneficiaries affected by this cliff incurred an additional $2,288 in out-of-pocket spending over the course of two years, used 55 percent fewer outpatient evaluation and management services per year, and filled fewer prescriptions. They recommended expanding eligibility for Medicaid supplemental coverage and increasing take-up of Part D subsidies to lessen cost-related barriers to health care among near-poor Medicare beneficiaries.
AHRQ-funded; HS026727.
Citation: Roberts ET, Glynn A, Cornelio N .
Medicaid coverage 'cliff' increases expenses and decreases care for near-poor Medicare beneficiaries.
Health Aff 2021 Apr;40(4):552-61. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2020.02272..
Keywords: Medicaid, Medicare, Healthcare Costs, Low-Income, Health Insurance
Keohane LM, Trivedi A, Mor V
States with medically needy pathways: differences in long-term and temporary Medicaid entry for low-income Medicare beneficiaries.
Between January 2009 and June 2010, states with medically needy pathways had a higher percentage of low-income beneficiaries join Medicaid than states without such programs. However, among new full Medicaid participants, living in a state with a medically needy pathway was associated with an increase in the probability of switching to partial Medicaid and an increase in the probability of exiting Medicaid within 12 months. Alternative strategies for protecting low-income Medicare beneficiaries' access to care could provide more stable coverage.
AHRQ-funded; HS023016.
Citation: Keohane LM, Trivedi A, Mor V .
States with medically needy pathways: differences in long-term and temporary Medicaid entry for low-income Medicare beneficiaries.
Med Care Res Rev 2019 Dec;76(6):711-35. doi: 10.1177/1077558717737152..
Keywords: Vulnerable Populations, Low-Income, Medicaid, Medicare, Policy
Roberts ET, Hayley Welsh J, Donohue JM
Association of state policies with Medicaid disenrollment among low-income Medicare beneficiaries.
This study examined the role that state policies play in Medicaid disenrollment among low-income Medicare beneficiaries. Medicaid disenrollment among fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries was examined for the period 2012-2016. During that period, 18.2% of beneficiaries disenrolled for reasons other than death. Disenrollment was 24% lower in states that automatically enrolled recipients of the Supplemental Security Income program in full Medicaid, 33% lower in states with more generous provider payment policies, and 37% lower in states with less restrictive asset limits for partial Medicaid.
AHRQ-funded; HS026727.
Citation: Roberts ET, Hayley Welsh J, Donohue JM .
Association of state policies with Medicaid disenrollment among low-income Medicare beneficiaries.
Health Aff 2019 Jul;38(7):1153-62. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2018.05165..
Keywords: Medicare, Medicaid, Low-Income, Policy, Vulnerable Populations