ACA reduced disparities in health care access, report shows
By a
In an article in Health Affairs, the authors examined national survey data of
Income-related gaps in access to primary care providers and avoiding care due to cost also declined more in expansion states than in non-expansion states.
"Reducing health access disparities has been a subject of national debate since President
The authors said that despite the substantial reductions in access gaps under the ACA, many residents with household incomes under
"In its first two years of full implementation, the ACA improved health care access for Americans in low-income households, people who were not college graduates, and the unemployed," the authors said. "The law's Medicaid expansion was responsible for about half of these gains. The ACA was associated with a substantial (but incomplete) narrowing of socioeconomic disparities in access, particularly in states that expanded Medicaid."
They said that more research is needed to determine whether existing access gains will translate into improved health outcomes and reductions in disparities, and to "monitor future trends in access disparities in a changing policy environment."
"The
Co-authors on the paper were
However," he added, "we must stress that these gains are fragile. We would likely end up where we started if the ACA is repealed. Even without a full repeal, our political turmoil is injecting a great deal of uncertainty into the marketplaces, which could dissuade insurer participation and discourage enrollment."
Keywords for this news article include: Medicaid, Epidemiology, Legal Issues, Health Policy, Affordable Care Act,
Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world. Copyright 2017, NewsRx LLC
For In Vitro Diagnostic Testing Industry, Repeal a Mixed Bag
An Application for the Trademark “LINCOLN UNIFIER” Has Been Filed by Lincoln National
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News