Insurance expansion in Massachusetts did not reduce access among previously insured Medicare patients.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Joynt KE
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3989928 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Mar
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Insurance expansion in Massachusetts did not reduce access among previously insured Medicare patients.
Joynt Karen E KE Chan David D Orav E John EJ Jha Ashish K AK
Health affairs (Project Hope) 20130301 3
Critics of Massachusetts's health reform, a model for the Affordable Care Act, have argued that insurance expansion probably had a negative spillover effect leading to worse outcomes among already insured patients, such as vulnerable Medicare patients. Using Medicare data from 2004 to 2009, we examined trends in preventable hospitalizations for conditions such as uncontrolled hypertension and diabetes--markers of access to effective primary care--in Massachusetts compared to control states. We f ...[more]
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Project description:ObjectiveTo examine whether expanding coverage for the nonelderly affects primary care utilization among Medicare beneficiaries.Data sourceZip code-level files from Dartmouth Atlas for Massachusetts and surrounding states, including Medicare utilization for 2005 (pre expansion) and 2007 (post expansion), and health insurance coverage for 2005.Study designWe use two zip code-level outcomes: arc percent change in primary care visits per Medicare beneficiary per year, and percentage point change in the share of beneficiaries with one or more primary care visits. We use a regression-based difference-in-difference analysis that compares Massachusetts with surrounding states, and zip codes with high, medium, and low uninsurance rates in 2005. The 2005 uninsurance rates correspond to the size of Massachusetts' coverage expansion. We use propensity scores for identification of comparable zip codes and for weighting.Principal findingsIn areas of Massachusetts with the highest uninsurance rates-where insurance expansion had the largest impact-visits per beneficiary fell 6.9 percent (p < .001) relative to areas of Massachusetts with the smallest uninsurance rates.ConclusionsThe expansion of coverage for the nonelderly reduced primary care visits, but it did not reduce the percent of beneficiaries with at least one visit. These results could imply restricted access, increased efficiency, or some blend.
| S-EPMC3876406 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveTo assess the impact of Massachusetts Health Reform (MHR) on access, quality, and costs of outpatient care for the already-insured.Data sources/study settingMedicare data from before (2006) and after (2009) MHR implementation.Study designWe performed a retrospective difference-in-differences analysis of quantity of outpatient visits, proportion of outpatient quality metrics met, and costs of care for Medicare patients with ? 1 chronic disease in 2006 versus 2009. We used the remaining states in New England as controls.Data collection/extraction methodsWe used existing Medicare claims data provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.Principal findingsMHR was not associated with a decrease in outpatient visits per year compared to controls (9.4 prereform to 9.6 postreform in MA vs. 9.4-9.5 in controls, p = .32). Quality of care in MA improved more than controls for hemoglobin A1c monitoring, mammography, and influenza vaccination, and similarly to controls for diabetic eye examination, colon cancer screening, and pneumococcal vaccination. Average costs for patients in Massachusetts increased from $9,389 to $10,668, versus $8,375 to $9,114 in control states (p < .001).ConclusionsMHR was not associated with worsening in access or quality of outpatient care for the already-insured, and it had modest effects on costs. This has implications for other states expanding insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
| S-EPMC4369224 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ImportanceMedicare beneficiaries with disabilities aged 18 to 64 years face barriers accessing ambulatory care. Past studies comparing Medicare Advantage (MA) with traditional Medicare (TM) have not assessed how well these programs meet the needs of beneficiaries with disabilities.ObjectiveTo compare differences in enrollment rates, ambulatory care access, and ambulatory care quality for beneficiaries with disabilities in MA vs TM.Design setting and participantsThis cohort study included a nationally representative, weighted sample of 7201 person-years for beneficiaries aged 18 to 64 years with disability entitlement in the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey from 2015 through 2018. Differences in program enrollment and in measures of access and quality by program enrollment were compared after adjusting for demographic, insurance, social, health, and area characteristics and after reweighting the sample by propensity to enroll in MA as estimated by observed confounders. Data analyses were conducted between November 1, 2020, and November 11, 2021.ExposuresMedicare Advantage vs TM program enrollment.Main outcomes and measuresSix patient-reported measures of ambulatory care access (usual source of care, primary care usual source of care, specialist visit) and quality (cholesterol screening, influenza vaccination, colon cancer screening).ResultsThe mean (SD) age of the overall study population was 52.1 (11.0) years; 49.5% were female and 50.5% were male; 1.6% were Asian/Pacific Islander; 17.4%, Black; 10.2% Hispanic; 1.4%, Native American; 65.1%, White, and 4.2%, multiracial. Among all beneficiaries living in the community, individuals with disability entitlement were less likely to enroll in MA than other beneficiaries (34.8% vs 41.2%). The final sample of beneficiaries with disabilities included 2444 person-years in MA and 4757 person-years in TM. Beneficiaries with disabilities in MA vs TM were more likely to be of a minority race or ethnicity (35.7% vs 27.6%) and less likely to be enrolled in private insurance (11.9% vs 25.0%). Comparing MA with TM among beneficiaries with disabilities, those in MA had significantly better rates of access to a usual source of care (90.2% vs 84.9%; adjusted propensity-weighted marginal difference [APWMD], 2.9%; 95% CI, 0.2%-5.7%), access to specialist visits (53.2% vs 44.8%; APWMD, 5.5%; 95% CI, 0.6%-10.5%), cholesterol screenings (91.1% vs 86.4%; APWMD, 3.8%; 95% CI, 0.9%-6.7%), influenza vaccinations (61.4% vs 51.5%; APWMD, 10.4%; 95% CI, 5.3%-15.5%), and colon cancer screenings (68.4% vs 54.6%; APWMD, 10.3%; 95% CI, 4.8%-15.8%).Conclusions and relevanceIn this cohort study, Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities were enrolled in MA at significantly lower rates than those without disabilities. However, MA was associated with significantly better ambulatory care access and quality for these beneficiaries on 5 of 6 measures compared with TM.
| S-EPMC8903104 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundRigorous training may lead to increased rates of knee osteoarthritis and arthroplasties in military service members. Given the large numbers of arthritis and the increasing need for total joint replacements, access to appropriate care can be difficult for this population based on insurance restrictions. The aim of this study was to evaluate access to total knee arthroplasty for TRICARE patients in contracted civilian medical facilities.MethodsOrthopedic surgeons contracted to perform total knee replacements in the state of Florida were identified via TRICARE's website. Investigators used a secret shopper methodology with a standardized script to request an appointment for their family member for a total knee arthroplasty using either TRICARE Select or BlueCross preferred provider organization. The appointment acceptance rates, wait times, call duration, and accuracy of the physician listing were collected.ResultsA total of 228 offices that perform total knee arthroplasties in Florida were successfully contacted. Overall, 43.1% of the clinics had an inaccurate online listing, and 207 (91%) were able to schedule an appointment with TRICARE, compared to 93% for BlueCross Blue Shield (P = .06). The average wait for TRICARE patients was 24 days and 18 days for BlueCross (P < .01). Call times for TRICARE patients averaged 7.2 minutes, compared to 5.2 minutes for BlueCross (P < .01).ConclusionsTRICARE patients encountered longer waiting periods and inaccurate provider listings when accessing orthopedic care. Our results suggest a disparity in healthcare access for patients using TRICARE, which may result in negative health outcomes from receiving delayed care.
| S-EPMC10382688 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundMany states are implementing comprehensive programs aimed at reducing persistent barriers to contraceptive care. Evidence on the effectiveness of these programs is essential for practice improvement and policy development.ObjectiveTo evaluate changes in the probability of initiating a contraceptive method by women with employer sponsored insurance after implementation of Delaware Contraceptive Access Now (DelCAN), a statewide initiative that aimed to increase access to long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs).Design, setting, and participantsWe used a difference-in-differences design to examine contraceptive initiation rates. Data came from IBM Marketscan and covered women age 15-44 enrolled in employer sponsored insurance. The primary outcome was insertion of a LARC, both in the overall study population and in the immediate postpartum (IPP) setting. Secondary analysis examined changes to other contraceptive method types.ResultsThe cohort of 4,550,459 enrollees generated a sample of 11,888,837 person-years and 615,670 childbirth hospitalizations. Difference-in-differences estimates suggested that DelCAN was associated with a 0.3 percentage point (95% CI [0.2, 0.5], p<0.001) increase in the LARC insertion rate in the overall study population and a 0.4 percentage point increase (95% CI [0.2, 0.6], p<0.001) in the percent of births adopting IPP LARC. Associations between DelCAN and LARC insertion appeared stronger for adolescents compared to older women. Results for other method types were less consistent.ConclusionsA comprehensive statewide program was associated with increased LARC insertion rates among enrollees with employer sponsored insurance. Understanding the effect of these programs is critical for on-going policy development for states engaged in contraceptive access reform.
| S-EPMC9870137 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Within Medicare, the Medicare Advantage program has historically attracted better risks-healthier, lower-cost patients-than has traditional Medicare. The disproportionate enrollment of lower-cost patients and avoidance of higher-cost ones during the 1990s-known as favorable selection-resulted in Medicare's spending more per beneficiary who enrolled in Medicare Advantage than if the enrollee had remained in traditional Medicare. We looked at two measures that can indicate whether favorable selection is taking place-predicted spending on beneficiaries and mortality-and studied whether policies that Medicare implemented in the past decade succeeded in reducing favorable selection in Medicare Advantage. We found that these policies-an improved risk adjustment formula and a prohibition on monthly disenrollment by beneficiaries-largely succeeded. Differences in predicted spending between those switching from traditional Medicare to Medicare Advantage relative to those who remained in traditional Medicare markedly narrowed, as did adjusted mortality rates. Because insurance exchanges set up under the Affordable Care Act will employ similar policies to combat risk selection, our results give reason for optimism about managing competition among health plans.
| S-EPMC3535470 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ImportanceYoung adults historically have had the highest uninsured rates among all age groups. In 2014, in addition to Medicaid expansion for adults with low income (≤133% of the federal poverty level [FPL]) through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Massachusetts also extended eligibility for children (≤150% FPL) to beneficiaries aged 19 to 20 years.ObjectiveTo examine changes in insurance coverage continuity for Medicaid enrollees who turned age 19 years before and after eligibility policy changes.Design setting and participantsThis cohort study used data from the Massachusetts All-Payer Claims Database (2012 to 2016) to compare coverage for Medicaid beneficiaries turning age 19 years before and after Medicaid expansion. Monthly coverage was examined for each cohort for 3 years as beneficiaries aged from 18 and 19 years to 19 and 20 years to 20 and 21 years. Analyses were performed between November 1, 2020, and May 12, 2022.Main outcomes and measuresIn each year, the likelihood of being uninsured or having Medicaid, employer-sponsored insurance, or individual commercial coverage for 3 or more months was examined along with the likelihood of having continuous Medicaid enrollment for 12 or more and 24 or more months. Multivariable linear probability models were used to compare the likelihood of these outcomes for those in the postexpansion vs preexpansion cohorts, adjusting for sex, comorbidity levels, neighborhood socioeconomic status, and neighborhood race and ethnicity.ResultsA total of 41 247 young adults turning age 18 to 19 years in the baseline year (20 876 [50.6%] men) were included in the study, with 20 777 in the preexpansion cohort and 20 470 in the postexpansion cohort. Enrollees who turned age 19 years after vs before the Medicaid eligibility expansion were less likely to have 3 or more uninsured months at ages 18 to 19 years (4.4% [n = 891] vs 22.9% [n = 4750]; adjusted difference, -18.4 [95% CI, -19.0 to -17.7] percentage points) and 19 to 20 years (13.2% [n = 2702] vs 35.8% [n = 7447]; adjusted difference, -22.4 [95% CI, -23.2 to -21.6] percentage points) and more likely to have continuous insurance coverage for 12 or more months (94.1% [n = 19 272] vs 63.7% [n = 13 234]; adjusted difference, 30.5 [95% CI, 29.7-31.2] percentage points) or 24 or more months (77.5% [n = 15 868] vs 44.4% [n = 9221]; adjusted difference, 33.0 [95% CI, 32.1-33.9] percentage points). Differences in the likelihood of having 3 or more uninsured months diminished at ages 20 to 21 years, when both groups had access to Medicaid (ie, in calendar years 2014 for the preexpansion cohort and 2016 for the postexpansion cohort).Conclusions and relevanceIn this cohort study of young adults in Massachusetts, the combination of expanding Medicaid to lower-income adults and increasing the age threshold for child Medicaid eligibility was associated with reduced likelihood of becoming uninsured among Medicaid enrollees entering adulthood.
| S-EPMC9287752 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundPrior studies attempting to identify disparities in the care of patients with appendiceal (AC) or colorectal cancer (CRC) with peritoneal metastasis (PM) are limited to single-institution, highly selected patient populations. This observational cohort study sought to identify factors associated with specialty care for Medicare beneficiaries with AC/CRC-PM.Materials and methodsPatients >65 years old in the United States diagnosed with AC/CRC and isolated PM were identified within the Medicare Standard Analytic File (2013-2017). Mixed-effects analyses assessed patient factors associated with cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS/HIPEC) and outpatient consultation with a peritoneal surface malignancy (PSM) surgeon, and Cox proportional-hazards analysis compared 3-year overall survival (OS) between patients receiving CRS/HIPEC versus systemic therapy alone.ResultsAmong 7,653 patients, only 250 (3.3%) underwent CRS/HIPEC. Among those individuals who did not undergo CRS/HIPEC (N=7,403), only 475 (6.4%) had outpatient consultation with a PSM surgeon. Patient factors independently associated with lower odds of CRS/HIPEC and PSM surgery consultation included older age, greater comorbidity burden, higher social vulnerability index, and further distance from a PSM center (p<0.05). CRS/HIPEC was independently associated with better 3-year OS compared with systemic therapy alone (HR=0.29, 95%CI=0.21-0.38).ConclusionAn exceedingly small proportion of Medicare beneficiaries with AC/CRC-PM undergo CRS/HIPEC or even have an outpatient consultation with a PSM surgeon. Significant disparities in treatment and access to care exist for patients with higher levels of social vulnerability and those that live further away from a PSM center. Future research and interventions should focus on improving access to care for these at-risk patient populations.
| S-EPMC9659914 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Virginia expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act beginning in January 2019, which substantially increased income eligibility up to 138% of the federal poverty level (FPL) for both childless adults and parents. In this study, we examined the effects of Virginia's Medicaid expansion in 2019 on health insurance coverage, access to care, and health status by employing a difference-in-differences and a synthetic control design. The study included data on health insurance from the 2016-2020 American Community Survey (ACS) and data on access to care and health status come from the 2016-2020 Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System (BRFSS). The samples from ACS and BRFSS were limited to non-elderly adults with income below 138% of the FPL. Separate models were estimated for individuals below 100% of FPL, and those within 100-138% of FPL. The Virginia Medicaid expansion was associated with a 9-11 percentage-point increase in Medicaid coverage rate and a 7-8 percentage-point increase in the insured rate among individuals below 100% FPL, in the first two years of expansion. There was a larger increase in Medicaid coverage among individuals within 100-138% of FPL which also led to a larger increase in the insured rate in 2020. Both income groups showed no changes in private coverage after the expansion in Virginia. We also found a decline in delaying necessary medical visits due to cost for individuals below 100% FPL in 2019 and for individuals within 100-138% FPL in 2020. There was overall no discernable change in health status outcomes. Virginia's 2019 Medicaid expansion substantially increased insurance coverage among poor adults with suggestive early evidence for improved access. The findings highlight the missed opportunity for other states that have not yet decided to expand their Medicaid programs to improve coverage and access among their low-income individuals.
| S-EPMC9134455 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveMultiple studies have detailed the relationship between Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act and various health and financial outcomes. However, fewer studies have examined Medicaid expansion's effects on individuals with psychiatric diagnoses. This study sought to determine the relationship between Medicaid expansion and various health and financial outcomes among low-income adults with depression.MethodsThis quasi-experimental study used a random-digit-dial survey of U.S. citizens ages 19-64 with incomes below 138% of the federal poverty level. Surveys were conducted in three southern states (two expansion states, Arkansas and Kentucky, and one nonexpansion state, Texas) between 2013 and 2016. The study sample consisted of those with a positive screen for depression-score of ≥2 on the two-item Patient Health Questionnaire (N=4,853). Survey-weighted difference-in-differences regressions were conducted with insurance status, health care access and utilization, and affordability of care as outcomes of interest. Subgroup analyses stratified the sample on the basis of the respondent's residence in a health professional shortage area (HPSA) in mental health and severity of depression.ResultsMedicaid expansion was associated with a significant reduction in the proportion of adults with depression who lacked health insurance (-23 percentage points, 95% confidence interval=-32 to -14, p<.001). Medicaid expansion was also associated with significant reductions in delaying care and medications because of cost. These changes were similar regardless of residence in a mental health HPSA and severity of depression.ConclusionsMedicaid expansion was associated with improved access to care and medication among persons with depression, even in areas with relative shortages of mental health professionals.
| S-EPMC6395562 | biostudies-literature