New Medicare and Medicaid Study Findings Have Been Reported by N. Chalmers and Colleagues (After Medicaid Expansion In Kentucky, Use Of Hospital…

Insurance Weekly News

New Medicare and Medicaid Study Findings Have Been Reported by N. Chalmers and Colleagues (After Medicaid Expansion In Kentucky, Use Of Hospital Emergency Departments For Dental Conditions Increased)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Weekly News -- Research findings on Medicare and Medicaid are discussed in a new report. According to news reporting originating in Westborough, Massachusetts, by VerticalNews journalists, research stated, "Access to oral health care is a critical need for the adult Medicaid population. Following the 2014 expansion of Medicaid eligibility in Kentucky, millions of adults became eligible to receive dental benefits."

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research, "We examined the impact of the expansion on adult Medicaid enrollees' use of hospital emergency departments (EDs) for conditions related to dental or oral health in the period 2010-14. Based on our analysis of data for Kentucky from the State Emergency Department Databases, we found that the rate of discharges for these conditions from the ED increased significantly, from 1,833 per 100,000 population in 2013 to 5,635 in 2014. Adults covered by Medicaid who used the ED for treatment of oral health conditions in 2014 had high levels of chronic comorbidities and were more likely to be male and nonwhite than those in earlier years."

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: "To avoid costly and inappropriate use of the ED, states considering adding an adult Medicaid dental benefit should consider also making changes to assist beneficiaries in obtaining access to the dental health care delivery system."

For more information on this research see: After Medicaid Expansion In Kentucky, Use Of Hospital Emergency Departments For Dental Conditions Increased. Health Affairs, 2016;35(12):2268-2276. Health Affairs can be contacted at: Project Hope, 7500 Old Georgetown Rd, Ste 600, Bethesda, MD 20814-6133, USA.

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting N. Chalmers, DentaQuest Inst, Analyt & Publicat, Westborough, MA 01581, United States. Additional authors for this research include J. Grover and R. Compton.

Keywords for this news article include: Westborough, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America, Medicare and Medicaid, Health Policy, Medicaid, Dentistry, Hospital.