Multigenerational Impacts of Childhood Access to the Safety Net: Early Life Exposure to Medicaid and the Next Generation's Health.

We examine multi-generational impacts of positive in utero health interventions using a new research design that exploits sharp increases in prenatal Medicaid eligibility that occurred in some states. Our analyses are based on U.S. Vital Statistics Natality files, which enables linkages between individuals' early life Medicaid exposure and the next generation's health at birth. We find evidence that the health benefits associated with treated generations' early life program exposure extend to later offspring. Our results suggest that the returns on early life health investments may be substantively underestimated.

State Public Insurance Coverage Policies and Postpartum Care Among Immigrants.

Importance: Professional medical organizations recommend that adults receive routine postpartum care. Yet, some states restrict public insurance coverage for undocumented immigrants and recently documented immigrants (those who received legal documentation status within the past 5 years). Objective: To examine the association between public insurance coverage and postpartum care among low-income immigrants and the difference in receipt of postpartum care among immigrants relative to nonimmigrants. Design, Setting, and Participants: A pooled, cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System for 19 states and New York City including low-income adults with a live birth between 2012 and 2019. Exposure: Giving birth in a state that offered public insurance coverage for postpartum care to recently documented or undocumented immigrants. Main Outcomes and Measures: Self-reported receipt of postpartum care by the category of coverage offered (full coverage: states that offered publicly funded postpartum care regardless of immigration status; moderate coverage: states that offered publicly funded postpartum care to lawfully residing immigrants without a 5-year waiting period, but did not offer postpartum care to undocumented immigrants; no coverage: states that did not offer publicly funded postpartum care to lawfully present immigrants before 5 years of legal residence or to undocumented immigrants). Results: The study included 72 981 low-income adults (20 971 immigrants [29%] and 52 010 nonimmigrants [71%]). Of the 19 included states and New York City, 6 offered full coverage, 9 offered moderate coverage, and 4 offered no coverage; 1 state (Oregon) switched from offering moderate coverage to offering full coverage. Compared with the states that offered full coverage, receipt of postpartum care among immigrants was 7.0-percentage-points lower (95% CI, -10.6 to -3.4 percentage points) in the states that offered moderate coverage and 11.3-percentage-points lower (95% CI, -13.9 to -8.8 percentage points) in the states that offered no coverage. The differences in the receipt of postpartum care among immigrants relative to nonimmigrants were also associated with the coverage categories. Compared with the states that offered full coverage, there was a 3.3-percentage-point larger difference (95% CI, -5.3 to -1.4 percentage points) in the states that offered moderate coverage and a 7.7-percentage-point larger difference (95% CI, -10.3 to -5.0 percentage points) in the states that offered no coverage. Conclusions and Relevance: Compared with states without insurance restrictions, immigrants living in states with public insurance restrictions were less likely to receive postpartum care. Restricting public insurance coverage may be an important policy-driven barrier to receipt of recommended pregnancy care and improved maternal health among immigrants.

Health and Access to Care during the First 2 Years of the ACA Medicaid Expansions.

BACKGROUND: By September 2015, a total of 29 states and Washington, D.C., were participating in Medicaid expansions under the Affordable Care Act. We examined whether Medicaid expansions were associated with changes in insurance coverage, health care use, and health among low-income adults. METHODS: We compared changes in outcomes during the 2 years after implementation of the Medicaid expansion (2014 and 2015) relative to the 4 years before expansion (2010 through 2013) in states with and without expansions, using data from the National Health Interview Survey. The sample consisted of 60,766 U.S. citizens who were 19 to 64 years of age and had incomes below 138% of the federal poverty level. Outcomes included insurance coverage, access to and use of medical care in the past 12 months, and health status as reported by the respondents. RESULTS: A total of 29 states and Washington, D.C., expanded Medicaid by September 1, 2015. In year 2 after implementation, uninsurance rates were reduced in expansion states relative to nonexpansion states (difference-in-differences estimate, -8.2 percentage points; P<0.001) and rates of Medicaid coverage were increased (difference-in-differences estimate, 15.6 percentage points; P<0.001). Expansions were not associated with significant changes in the likelihood of a doctor visit or overnight hospital stay or health status as reported by the respondent. However, as compared with nonexpansion states, expansion states had a decrease in reports of inability to afford needed follow-up care (difference-in-differences estimate, -3.4 percentage points; P=0.002) and in reports of worry about paying medical bills (difference-in-differences estimate, -7.9 percentage points; P=0.002) and an increase in reports of medical care being delayed because of wait times for appointments (difference-in-differences estimate, 2.6 percentage points; P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Medicaid expansion was associated with increased insurance coverage and access to care during the second year of implementation, but it was also associated with longer wait times for appointments, which suggests that challenges in access to care persist.

Early Coverage, Access, Utilization, and Health Effects Associated With the Affordable Care Act Medicaid Expansions: A Quasi-experimental Study.

BACKGROUND: In 2014, only 26 states and the District of Columbia chose to implement the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansions for low-income adults. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether the state Medicaid expansions were associated with changes in insurance coverage, access to and utilization of health care, and self-reported health. DESIGN: Comparison of outcomes before and after the expansions in states that did and did not expand Medicaid. SETTING: United States. PARTICIPANTS: Citizens aged 19 to 64 years with family incomes below 138% of the federal poverty level in the 2010 to 2014 National Health Interview Surveys. MEASUREMENTS: Health insurance coverage (private, Medicaid, or none); improvements in coverage over the previous year; visits to physicians in general practice and specialists; hospitalizations and emergency department visits; skipped or delayed medical care; usual source of care; diagnoses of diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension; self-reported health; and depression. RESULTS: In the second half of 2014, adults in expansion states experienced increased health insurance (7.4 percentage points [95% CI, 3.4 to 11.3 percentage points]) and Medicaid (10.5 percentage points [CI, 6.5 to 14.5 percentage points]) coverage and better coverage than 1 year before (7.1 percentage points [CI, 2.7 to 11.5 percentage points]) compared with adults in nonexpansion states. Medicaid expansions were associated with increased visits to physicians in general practice (6.6 percentage points [CI, 1.3 to 12.0 percentage points]), overnight hospital stays (2.4 percentage points [CI, 0.7 to 4.2 percentage points]), and rates of diagnosis of diabetes (5.2 percentage points [CI, 2.4 to 8.1 percentage points]) and high cholesterol (5.7 percentage points [CI, 2.0 to 9.4 percentage points]). Changes in other outcomes were not statistically significant. LIMITATION: Observational study may be susceptible to unmeasured confounders; reliance on self-reported data; limited post-ACA time frame provided information on short-term changes only. CONCLUSION: The ACA Medicaid expansions were associated with higher rates of insurance coverage, improved quality of coverage, increased utilization of some types of health care, and higher rates of diagnosis of chronic health conditions for low-income adults. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: None.

Predicting high-cost pediatric patients: derivation and validation of a population-based model.

BACKGROUND: Health care administrators often lack feasible methods to prospectively identify new pediatric patients with high health care needs, precluding the ability to proactively target appropriate population health management programs to these children. OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a predictive model identifying high-cost pediatric patients using parent-reported health (PRH) measures that can be easily collected in clinical and administrative settings. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study using 2-year panel data from the 2001 to 2011 rounds of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. SUBJECTS: A total of 24,163 children aged 5-17 with family incomes below 400% of the federal poverty line were included in this study. MEASURES: Predictive performance, including the c-statistic, sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values, of multivariate logistic regression models predicting top-decile health care expenditures over a 1-year period. RESULTS: Seven independent domains of PRH measures were tested for predictive capacity relative to basic sociodemographic information: the Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) Screener; subjectively rated health status; prior year health care utilization; behavioral problems; asthma diagnosis; access to health care; and parental health status and access to care. The CSHCN screener and prior year utilization domains exhibited the highest incremental predictive gains over the baseline model. A model including sociodemographic characteristics, the CSHCN screener, and prior year utilization had a c-statistic of 0.73 (95% confidence interval, 0.70-0.74), surpassing the commonly used threshold to establish sufficient predictive capacity (c-statistic>0.70). CONCLUSIONS: The proposed prediction tool, comprising a simple series of PRH measures, accurately stratifies pediatric populations by their risk of incurring high health care costs.

Medicaid family planning expansions and related preventive care.

I examined the impact of state expansions in eligibility for Medicaid family planning services on the utilization of Papanicolaou (Pap) tests, clinical breast examinations, HIV testing, and routine doctor check-ups among women aged 21 to 44 years using the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (1993-2009). Using a natural experiment approach, I found significant increases in Pap tests and clinical breast examinations among women eligible for services under the expansions but no significant change in HIV testing or routine doctor check-ups.

Medicaid Expansion Led To Reductions In Postpartum Hospitalizations.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansions increased preconception and postpartum insurance coverage among low-income birthing people, leading to greater use of outpatient care. In this study we evaluated whether the expansions affected rates of postpartum hospitalization. Our analyses took advantage of underused longitudinal hospital data from the period 2010-17 to examine hospitalizations after childbirth. We compared changes in hospitalizations among birthing people with a Medicaid-financed delivery in states that did and did not expand Medicaid under the ACA. We found a 17 percent reduction in hospitalizations during the first sixty days postpartum associated with the Medicaid expansions and some evidence of a smaller decrease in hospitalizations between sixty-one days and six months postpartum. Our findings indicate that expanding Medicaid coverage led to improved postpartum health for low-income birthing people.

Estimated Mortality Increases During The COVID-19 Pandemic By Socioeconomic Status, Race, And Ethnicity.

This article estimates changes in all-cause mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic by socioeconomic characteristics and occupation for nonelderly adults in the US, using large-scale, national survey data linked to administrative mortality records. Mortality increases were largest for adults living in correctional facilities or in health care-related group quarters, those without health insurance coverage, those with family incomes below the federal poverty level, and those in occupations with limited work-from-home options. For almost all subgroups, mortality increases were higher among non-Hispanic Black respondents than among non-Hispanic White respondents. Hispanic respondents with health insurance, those not living in group quarters, those with work-from-home options, and those in essential industries also experienced larger increases in mortality during the COVID-19 crisis compared with non-Hispanic Whites in those categories. Occupations that experienced the largest mortality increases were related to installation, maintenance, and repair and production. This research highlights the relevance of individual economic, social, and demographic characteristics during the COVID-19 crisis.

Medicaid Expansion Increased Preconception Health Counseling, Folic Acid Intake, And Postpartum Contraception.

The period before pregnancy is critically important for the health of a woman and her infant, yet not all women have access to health insurance during this time. We evaluated whether increased access to health insurance under the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansions affected ten preconception health indicators, including the prevalence of chronic conditions and health behaviors, birth control use and pregnancy intention, and receipt of preconception health services. By comparing changes in outcomes for low-income women in expansion and nonexpansion states, we document greater preconception health counseling, prepregnancy folic acid intake, and postpartum use of effective birth control methods among low-income women associated with Medicaid expansion. We do not find evidence of changes on the other preconception health indicators examined. Our findings indicate that expanding Medicaid led to detectable improvements on a subset of preconception health measures.

How Have ACA Insurance Expansions Affected Health Outcomes? Findings From The Literature.

A growing body of literature examining the effects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on nonelderly adults provides promising evidence of improvements in health outcomes through insurance expansions. Our review of forty-three studies that employed a quasi-experimental research design found encouraging evidence of improvements in health status, chronic disease, maternal and neonatal health, and mortality, with some findings corroborated by multiple studies. Some studies further suggested that the beneficial effects have grown over time and thus may continue to grow if the ACA insurance expansions remain in force. However, not all studies reported a significant positive relationship between ACA provisions that expanded insurance coverage and health status. We highlight the challenges facing researchers, including the importance of nonmedical factors in determining individual health and the use of outcome data predominantly drawn from self-reports. In closing, we identify opportunities to enhance researchers' understanding of the relationship between the ACA insurance expansions and health outcomes using new data sources, including electronic health records.

State Medicaid Expansions for Parents Led to Increased Coverage and Prenatal Care Utilization among Pregnant Mothers.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate impacts of state Medicaid expansions for low-income parents on the health insurance coverage, pregnancy intention, and use of prenatal care among mothers who became pregnant. DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING: Person-level data for women with a live birth from the 1997-2012 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: The sample was restricted to women who were already parents using information on previous live births and combined with information on state Medicaid policies for low-income parents. STUDY DESIGN: I used a measure of expanded generosity of state Medicaid eligibility for low-income parents to estimate changes in health insurance, pregnancy intention, and prenatal care for pregnant mothers associated with Medicaid expansion. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: I found an increase in prepregnancy health insurance coverage and coverage during pregnancy among pregnant mothers, as well as earlier initiation of prenatal care, associated with the expansions. Among pregnant mothers with less education, I found an increase in the adequacy of prenatal care utilization. CONCLUSIONS: Expanded Medicaid coverage for low-income adults has the potential to increase a woman's health insurance coverage prior to pregnancy, as well as her insurance coverage and medical care receipt during pregnancy.

Childhood Medicaid Coverage and Later-Life Health Care Utilization.

Exploiting a discontinuity in childhood Medicaid eligibility based on date of birth, we find that more years of childhood eligibility are associated with fewer hospitalizations in adulthood. For blacks, we find a 7-15% decrease in hospitalizations and a suggestive 2-5% decrease in emergency department visits, but no similar effect for non-blacks. The effects are pronounced for utilization related to chronic illnesses and for patients living in low-income zip codes. Calculations suggest that lower rates of hospitalizations during one year in adulthood for blacks offset between 2 and 4 percent of the initial costs of expanding Medicaid for all children.

State And Federal Coverage For Pregnant Immigrants: Prenatal Care Increased, No Change Detected For Infant Health.

Expanded health insurance coverage for pregnant immigrant women who are in the United States lawfully as well as those who are in the country without documentation may address barriers in access to pregnancy-related care. We present new evidence on the impact of states' public health insurance expansions for pregnant immigrant women (both state-funded and expansions under the Children's Health Insurance Program) on their prenatal care use, mode of delivery, and infant health. Our quasi-experimental design compared changes in immigrant women's outcomes in states expanding coverage to changes in outcomes for nonimmigrant women in the same state and to women in nonexpanding states. We found that prenatal care use increased among all immigrant women following coverage expansion and that cesarean section increased among immigrant women with less than a high school diploma. We found no effects on the incidence of low birthweight, preterm birth, being small for gestational age, or infant death. State public insurance programs that cover pregnant immigrant women appear to have improved prenatal care utilization without observable changes in infant health or mortality.

The Role of Public Health Insurance in Reducing Child Poverty.

Over the past 30 years, there have been major expansions in public health insurance for low-income children in the United States through Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and other state-based efforts. In addition, many low-income parents have gained Medicaid coverage since 2014 under the Affordable Care Act. Most of the research to date on health insurance coverage among low-income populations has focused on its effect on health care utilization and health outcomes, with much less attention to the financial protection it offers families. We review a growing body of evidence that public health insurance provides important financial benefits to low-income families. Expansions in public health insurance for low-income children and adults are associated with reduced out of pocket medical spending, increased financial stability, and improved material well-being for families. We also review the potential poverty-reducing effects of public health insurance coverage. When out of pocket medical expenses are taken into account in defining the poverty rate, Medicaid plays a significant role in decreasing poverty for many children and families. In addition, public health insurance programs connect families to other social supports such as food assistance programs that also help reduce poverty. We conclude by reviewing emerging evidence that access to public health insurance in childhood has long-term effects for health and economic outcomes in adulthood. Exposure to Medicaid and CHIP during childhood has been linked to decreased mortality and fewer chronic health conditions, better educational attainment, and less reliance on government support later in life. In sum, the nation's public health insurance programs have many important short- and long-term poverty-reducing benefits for low-income families with children.

Previous Medicaid Expansion May Have Had Lasting Positive Effects On Oral Health Of Non-Hispanic Black Children.

Healthy tooth development starts early in life, beginning even before birth. We present new evidence suggesting that a historic public health insurance expansion for pregnant women and children in the United States in the 1980s and 1990s may have had long-lasting effects on the oral health of the children gaining eligibility. We estimated the relationship between adult oral health and the extent of state public health insurance eligibility for pregnant women, infants, and children throughout childhood separately for non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks, and Hispanics. We found that expanded Medicaid coverage geared toward pregnant women and children during their first year of life was linked to better oral health in adulthood among non-Hispanic blacks. Our results also suggested that there might be a benefit to expanded public health insurance eligibility for children at ages 1-6 among non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics. Medicaid expansions appear to have had long-lasting effects for certain low-income children and helped narrow racial/ethnic disparities in adult oral health.

Using self-reported health measures to predict high-need cases among Medicaid-eligible adults.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the ability of different self-reported health (SRH) measures to prospectively identify individuals with high future health care needs among adults eligible for Medicaid. DATA SOURCES: The 1997-2008 rounds of the National Health Interview Survey linked to the 1998-2009 rounds of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (n = 6,725). STUDY DESIGN: Multivariate logistic regression models are fitted for the following outcomes: having an inpatient visit; membership in the top decile of emergency room utilization; and membership in the top cost decile. We examine the incremental predictive ability of six different SRH domains (health conditions, mental health, access to care, health behaviors, health-related quality of life [HRQOL], and prior utilization) over a baseline model with sociodemographic characteristics. Models are evaluated using the c-statistic, integrated discrimination improvement, sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Self-reports of prior utilization provide the greatest predictive improvement, followed by information on health conditions and HRQOL. Models including these three domains meet the standard threshold of acceptability (c-statistics range from 0.703 to 0.751). CONCLUSIONS: SRH measures provide a promising way to prospectively profile Medicaid-eligible adults by likely health care needs.