Kyoto University Reports Findings in Machine Learning (Heterogeneous effects of Medicaid coverage on cardiovascular risk factors: secondary analysis of randomized controlled trial): Machine Learning

2024 OCT 08 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- New research on Machine Learning is the subject of a report. According to news reporting originating in Kyoto, Japan, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “To investigate whether health insurance generated improvements in cardiovascular risk factors (blood pressure and hemoglobin A (HbA) levels) for identifiable subpopulations, and using machine learning to identify characteristics of people predicted to benefit highly. Secondary analysis of randomized controlled trial.”

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from Kyoto University, “Medicaid insurance coverage in 2008 for adults on low incomes (defined as lower than the federal-defined poverty line) in Oregon who were uninsured. 12 134 participants from the Oregon Health Insurance Experiment with in-person data for health outcomes for both treatment and control groups. Health insurance (Medicaid) coverage. The conditional local average treatment effects of Medicaid coverage on systolic blood pressure and HbA using a machine learning causal forest algorithm (with instrumental variables). Characteristics of individuals with positive predicted benefits of Medicaid coverage based on the algorithm were compared with the characteristics of others. The effect of Medicaid coverage was calculated on blood pressure and HbA among individuals with high predicted benefits. In the in-person interview survey, mean systolic blood pressure was 119 (standard deviation 17) mm Hg and mean HbA concentrations was 5.3% (standard deviation 0.6%). Our causal forest model showed heterogeneity in the effect of Medicaid coverage on systolic blood pressure and HbA. Individuals with lower baseline healthcare charges, for example, had higher predicted benefits from gaining Medicaid coverage. Medicaid coverage significantly lowered systolic blood pressure (-4.96 mm Hg (95% confidence interval -7.80 to -2.48)) for people predicted to benefit highly. HbA was also significantly reduced by Medicaid coverage for people with high predicted benefits, but the size was not clinically meaningful (-0.12% (-0.25% to -0.01%)). Although Medicaid coverage did not improve cardiovascular risk factors on average, substantial heterogeneity was noted in the effects within that population. Individuals with high predicted benefits were more likely to have no or low prior healthcare charges, for example.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Our findings suggest that Medicaid coverage leads to improved cardiovascular risk factors for some, particularly for blood pressure, although those benefits may be diluted by individuals who did not experience benefits.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Heterogeneous effects of Medicaid coverage on cardiovascular risk factors: secondary analysis of randomized controlled trial. BMJ, 2024;386. BMJ can be contacted at: Bmj Publishing Group, British Med Assoc House, Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9JR, England. (BMJ Publishing Group - http://group.bmj.com/; BMJ - http://casereports.bmj.com/)

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Kosuke Inoue, Dept. of Social Epidemiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan. Additional authors for this research include Susan Athey, Katherine Baicker and Yusuke Tsugawa.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2024-079377. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

The publisher of the journal BMJ can be contacted at: Bmj Publishing Group, British Med Assoc House, Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9JR, England.

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