Report Summarizes Public Health Nursing Study Findings from St. Anthony College of Nursing (Medicaid Expansion and Accessibility To Healthcare: the Illinois Experience)

2021 MAY 03 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Data detailed on Nursing - Public Health Nursing have been presented. According to news reporting out of Rockford, Illinois, by NewsRx editors, research stated, “The study examined the impact that the Medicaid expansion in Illinois had upon insurance rates, access to medical care, dental care, pharmaceuticals, and mental-health counseling between rural and urban counties. Design and Sample A serial cross-sectional design was used to assess the health perceptions of adults living in Illinois.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the St. Anthony College of Nursing, “Survey data were collected in 2012 (n = 6,149) before the Medicaid expansion in Illinois and in 2015 (n = 3,532) after the expansion from rural (n = 4) and urban counties (n = 4). Medicaid expansion reduced the uninsured rate in both rural (16.39%-4.87%) and urban counties (17.05%-5.2%) and improved self-reported health. It also increased access to all types of healthcare, with the biggest increase in dental coverage. Path analysis indicated that the Medicaid expansion beta = -1.03 (p < .01) and poor versus not poor beta = -1.50 (p < .01) were a significant predictor to no healthcare access. Rural verses urban location was not significant (beta = 0.04); however, race/ethnicity was significantly different (p < .01). Findings suggest that although the expansion has increased access to care overall, those who are the most vulnerable are still not benefiting equally from the expansion.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Therefore, strategies to assist high-risk adults in enrolling and using their Medicaid coverage need to developed and implemented.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Medicaid Expansion and Accessibility To Healthcare: the Illinois Experience. Public Health Nursing, 2021. Public Health Nursing can be contacted at: Wiley, 111 River St, Hoboken 07030-5774, NJ, USA. (Wiley-Blackwell - http://www.wiley.com/; Public Health Nursing - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1525-1446)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Matthew Dalstrom, St. Anthony College of Nursing, Rockford, IL 61114, United States. Additional authors for this research include Laurence G. Weinzimmer, Roopa Foulger and Colleen J. Klein.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1111/phn.12899. 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.

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