Study: ACA’s Expanded Medicaid Safety Net Dramatically Improving Access To Care
The study finds that in states that have expanded Medicaid patients were 16.1 percentage points more likely to have had a checkup in the past year, and 12 percentage points more likely to be getting regular care for a chronic condition.
Los Angeles Times:
Obamacare Is Helping More Poor Patients Get To The Doctor Even As Political Battles Continue
Even as the Affordable Care Act remains a political flash point, new research shows it is dramatically improving poor patients’ access to medical care in states that have used the law to expand their Medicaid safety net. After just two years of expanded coverage, patients in expansion states are going to the doctor more frequently and having less trouble paying for it. At the same time, the experience in those states suggests better access will ultimately improve patients’ health, as patients get more regular checkups and seek care for chronic illnesses such diabetes and heart disease. (Levey, 8/8)