Study: Affordable Care Act provision had little effect on ER use

CAL/AAEM News Service calaaem.news.service1 at gmail.com
Sun Sep 11 21:23:36 PDT 2016


      

 

August 9, 2016

 

Study: Affordable Care Act provision had little effect on ER use

 

 

 
<http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payer/study-medicaid-expansion-had-little-e
ffect-er-use?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal&mrkid=905528&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoi
T0daaFpqQXhORFZqTW1GaSIsInQiOiJ6c1I4YitvWUYraHArMEFsWXhXTkFmQVNrTWtRa2J4eVdo
XC85V1MxZktPXC91RTMxbGlsMm5KbitDQnJRd3B1ZVozdXB2UnNLRklVTytVKzBaVkNKY2ZFM0lj
RnRNdUVpd3kwUGhiQm9vejQ0PSJ9> Fierce Healthcare

 

 

By Leslie Small

 

Despite what some policymakers predicted, Medicaid expansion did not
significantly affect patients' use of emergency departments, according to a
new study, but it did alter the mix of insurance coverage among ED patients.

 

The study, published in the August issue of Health Affairs, examined the
effect of expanded Medicaid eligibility on ED use in 478 hospitals in 36
states in 2014. Here's what it found:

 

==> The number of Medicaid-paid ED visits in Medicaid expansion states
increased by 27.1 percent compared to non-expansion states.

==> The share of uninsured ED visits decreased by 31.4 percent in expansion
states compared to non-expansion states.

==> Privately insured ED visits dipped by 6.7 percent in expansion states
compared to non-expansion states.

 

Total ED visits, meanwhile, grew 2.9 percent in 2014 compared to
2013--similar to historical rates of ED visits, which have grown at an
average annual rate of 2.3 percent between 1997 and 2007. This suggests that
ED use for those newly insured with Medicaid was not substantially different
than for previously uninsured individuals, the researchers write.

 

To explain this finding, which differs from previous research, the study
points to several factors. For one, the ACA's temporary "Medicaid payment
parity" provision might have made it easier for new Medicaid beneficiaries
to access primary care, in turn decreasing demand for ED services.

 

Indeed, a study published recently in JAMA Internal Medicine found that
Kentucky's Medicaid program and Arkansas' private option for Medicaid
expansion increased outpatient utilization, boosted preventive care,
improved healthcare quality, reduced ED use and improved self-reported
health.

 

Further, those newly eligible for Medicaid under the ACA in states that
expanded eligibility differ from the populations traditionally served by
Medicaid, which could affect how they choose to access the ED, the Health
Affairs study notes.

 

Regardless of the reasons for the study's results, however, the researchers
add that it is "favorable news for the cost associated with the ACA as well
as other efforts to expand health insurance coverage in the United States."

 

 

 

Jeff Wells
Deputy Editor, CAL/AAEM News Service

 

Brian Potts MD, MBA
Managing Editor, CAL/AAEM News Service



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