Tulane University Researchers Discuss Research in Health and Medicine (Effects of medicaid expansion on poverty disparities in health insurance coverage)

2021 AUG 13 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Data detailed on health and medicine have been presented. According to news reporting out of Tulane University by NewsRx editors, research stated, “More than 30 states have either expanded Medicaid or are actively considering expansion. The coverage gains from this policy are well documented, however, the impacts of its increasing coverage on poverty disparity are unclear at the national level.”

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from Tulane University: “American Community Survey (2012-2018) was used to examine the effects of Medicaid expansion on poverty disparity in insurance coverage for nonelderly adults in the United States. Differences-in-differences-in-differences design was used to analyze trends in uninsured rates by poverty levels: (1) < 138 %, (2) 138-400 % and (3) > 400 % federal poverty level (FPL). Compared with uninsured rates in 2012, uninsured rates in 2018 decreased by 10.75 %, 6.42 %, and 1.11 % for < 138 %, 138-400 %, and > 400 % FPL, respectively. From 2012 to 2018, > 400 % FPL group continuously had the lowest uninsured rate and < 138 % FPL group had the highest uninsured rate. Compared with 138 % FPL groups, there was a 2.54 % reduction in uninsured risk after Medicaid expansion among < 138 % FPL group in Medicaid expansion states versus control states. After eliminating the impact of the ACA market exchange premium subsidy, 3.18 % decrease was estimated.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Poverty disparity in uninsured rates improved with Medicaid expansion. However, < 138 % FPL population are still at a higher risk for being uninsured.”

For more information on this research see: Effects of medicaid expansion on poverty disparities in health insurance coverage. International Journal for Equity in Health, 2021,20(1):1-11. (International Journal for Equity in Health - http://www.equityhealthj.com/). The publisher for International Journal for Equity in Health is BMC.

A free version of this journal article is available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-021-01486-3.

Our news journalists report that more information may be obtained by contacting Yilu Lin, Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University. Additional authors for this research include Alisha Monnette, Lizheng Shi.

(Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world.)