- By Rene Macapinlac
Critics of Medicaid expansion have voiced out several reasons why states should not expand the program. Aside from concerns that it will burden the state budgets, they question Medicaid’s effectiveness in providing quality care.
Now there are solid facts to support the case for Medicaid expansion.
A recent study found that in states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, insurance coverage increased for low-income adults. The study, published by the Annals of Internal Medicine, also found better healthcare usage and diagnosis rates for chronic diseases.
Researchers at the University of Michigan and the University of California-Los Angeles analyzed data from the National Health Interview Survey between 2010 and 2014. They compared the changes in outcomes among adults (ages 19 to 64, with family incomes 138 percent below the federal poverty level) in the 26 states that expanded Medicaid in 2014 with outcomes for adults in states that did not enact Medicaid expansion.
Among other factors, the researchers looked into coverage improvements compared to the previous year, doctor visits, hospitalizations and emergency department visits.
• In states that expanded Medicaid, insurance coverage increased 7.4 percent and Medicaid coverage increased 10.5 percent compared to non-expansion states.
• States that expanded Medicaid saw an increase in adults reporting an overnight hospital stay (2.4 percent), or visit to a physician (6.6 percent) in 2014, compared to non-expansion states.
• In states the expanded Medicaid, the rate of diabetes diagnoses increased (5.2 percent) as well as cholesterol diagnoses (5.7 percent).
It’s important to note that there were limitations to this study. Researchers only looked at the experiences of low-income adults during the first year of enactment of Medicaid expansion. They were not able to definitively rule out other factors unrelated to Medicaid expansion that may have influenced the results.
Although the study showed low-income adults were more likely to go to a physician or hospital, it was not able to determine improvement in the adults’ health because of the limited available data.
The researchers, however, have no doubt that greater use of health services could pay off in the future. They pointed out in the study that increased detection of chronic health conditions under Medicaid expansion could have important implications for both population health and national spending on health care “if it leads to improved management and control of these conditions." Since states began Medical expansion in 2014, Medicaid enrollment has gone up to more than 70 million people.
Monitoring these trends over time will be critically important for Medicaid managed care professionals as they prepare to adapt to changes, particularly when it comes to the people now gaining Medicaid coverage. Under the Affordable Care Act, states are now using Medicaid managed care plans to cover beneficiaries in rural areas, those with complex and chronic conditions, and many new enrollees. It will be interesting to see in the coming months how access to providers will be affected - as enrollment goes up and the number of uninsured people go down.
About the author:
Rene Macapinlac is the Director of Operations at ManagedCareBiz, an online resource for managed care professionals who need to stay up-to-date on industry news, analysis and commentary.
Critics of Medicaid expansion have voiced out several reasons why states should not expand the program. Aside from concerns that it will burden the state budgets, they question Medicaid’s effectiveness in providing quality care.
Now there are solid facts to support the case for Medicaid expansion.
A recent study found that in states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, insurance coverage increased for low-income adults. The study, published by the Annals of Internal Medicine, also found better healthcare usage and diagnosis rates for chronic diseases.
Researchers at the University of Michigan and the University of California-Los Angeles analyzed data from the National Health Interview Survey between 2010 and 2014. They compared the changes in outcomes among adults (ages 19 to 64, with family incomes 138 percent below the federal poverty level) in the 26 states that expanded Medicaid in 2014 with outcomes for adults in states that did not enact Medicaid expansion.
Among other factors, the researchers looked into coverage improvements compared to the previous year, doctor visits, hospitalizations and emergency department visits.
Here are some of the study’s key findings:
• In states that expanded Medicaid, insurance coverage increased 7.4 percent and Medicaid coverage increased 10.5 percent compared to non-expansion states.
• States that expanded Medicaid saw an increase in adults reporting an overnight hospital stay (2.4 percent), or visit to a physician (6.6 percent) in 2014, compared to non-expansion states.
• In states the expanded Medicaid, the rate of diabetes diagnoses increased (5.2 percent) as well as cholesterol diagnoses (5.7 percent).
It’s important to note that there were limitations to this study. Researchers only looked at the experiences of low-income adults during the first year of enactment of Medicaid expansion. They were not able to definitively rule out other factors unrelated to Medicaid expansion that may have influenced the results.
Although the study showed low-income adults were more likely to go to a physician or hospital, it was not able to determine improvement in the adults’ health because of the limited available data.
The researchers, however, have no doubt that greater use of health services could pay off in the future. They pointed out in the study that increased detection of chronic health conditions under Medicaid expansion could have important implications for both population health and national spending on health care “if it leads to improved management and control of these conditions." Since states began Medical expansion in 2014, Medicaid enrollment has gone up to more than 70 million people.
Monitoring these trends over time will be critically important for Medicaid managed care professionals as they prepare to adapt to changes, particularly when it comes to the people now gaining Medicaid coverage. Under the Affordable Care Act, states are now using Medicaid managed care plans to cover beneficiaries in rural areas, those with complex and chronic conditions, and many new enrollees. It will be interesting to see in the coming months how access to providers will be affected - as enrollment goes up and the number of uninsured people go down.
About the author:
Rene Macapinlac is the Director of Operations at ManagedCareBiz, an online resource for managed care professionals who need to stay up-to-date on industry news, analysis and commentary.
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