Medicaid Expansion Associated with Increased, But Not High Quality, Screening for Alcohol Use

People living in states with expanded Medicaid access were more likely to be screened by their doctor for alcohol use compared to people who lived in states that did not expand Medicaid access, but they did not necessarily receive effective interventions. A study published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research found that living in a state with expanded Medicaid access was associated with a higher prevalence of lower-income adults’ receiving some alcohol screening at a recent checkup but not receiving higher quality screening or brief counseling. The authors suggest that expanded Medicaid access may increase screening via increased access to primary care but that policies that target healthcare provider constraints are also needed to increase high-quality, evidence-based screening and counseling around alcohol use.

Study Finds Persistent Disparities in Access to Prenatal Care Among Pregnant People Based on Citizenship Status and Education Level

Findings suggest exclusions to Medicaid because of immigration status may increase risk for maternal health care disparities in some immigrant populations

@MTSU Healthcare Operations Expert Richard Tarpey Breaks Down SCOTUS Decision to Dismiss Challenge to the #AffordableCareAct

Richard Tarpey, assistant professor of management, in Middle Tennessee State University’s Jones College of Business, examines the U.S. Supreme Court recent decision to dismiss a challenge to the Affordable Care Act.  In turning away a challenge from Republican-led states and the former…

Endocrine Society celebrates Supreme Court decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act

The Endocrine Society today praised the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act, which makes health care accessible to millions of individuals nationwide, including those with hormone health conditions such as diabetes, osteoporosis, thyroid conditions, and breast and prostate cancer.

A few hundred dollars makes a difference in use of long-lasting birth control

Getting a birth control implant used to cost some women hundreds of dollars, especially if they had a high-deductible health plan. A new study shows the impact of the Affordable Care Act’s no-cost birth control provision, and the potential impact of a Supreme Court ruling allowing employers to opt out.

Rutgers Expert Available to Discuss Supreme Court Ruling Limiting Birth Control Coverage Under Obamacare

Professor Lena Merjanian, a reproductive health expert and gynecologist at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, is available to comment on the Supreme Court ruling that allows employers with religious or moral objections to deny women birth control coverage…

ASCO 2020: First National-Scale Study on the Impact of Medicaid Expansion on Cancer Mortality Rates Highlighted in Press Program

New data from researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) revealed the effects of Medicaid expansion on cancer death rates on a national scale. The landmark study found that states that adopted Medicaid expansion following the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 saw greater decreases in cancer mortality rates than states that did not. The findings were presented as part of the press program for this year’s virtual annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Endocrine Society opposes Administration’s effort to roll back protections for transgender health

The Endocrine Society is alarmed by the Administration’s proposed rule to roll back protections for transgender individuals and narrow the scope of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when everyone needs access to health care. The Society calls on the Administration to maintain access to care protections for all, particularly vulnerable populations.

DePaul University experts available to discuss recovery, life after the COVID-19 pandemic

Recovery. Reentry. Reopen. Return. A new normal. Faculty experts at DePaul University are available for news media interviews about what comes next — after the COVID-19 pandemic. Does the world return to normal or will there be fundamental changes to how we live our lives, work, and travel; and how we are governed?

ACA has helped protect low-income patients from catastrophic spending for surgery

n the years after 2014, when the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance marketplaces were established, low-income patients who underwent a surgical procedure saved an average of $601 in out-of-pocket spending and $968 in premium spending per year, compared to before the marketplaces existed. Those low-income patients also had a 35% lower chance of having catastrophic levels of household medical spending.

However, for middle-income patients, spending levels were about the same before and after the marketplaces began.

Affordable Care Act helped make health insurance access more equal, but racial and ethnic gaps remain

As the Affordable Care Act turns 10, a new study shows it has narrowed racial and ethnic gaps in access to health insurance – but definitely not eliminated them.
Both the percentage of people 19-64 who lacked health insurance, and the size of the health insurance gap between white, African-American and Hispanic Americans, shrank. From 2013 to 2017, the gap between blacks and whites narrowed 45%, and the difference between Hispanics and whites narrowed 35%.

Medicaid expansion doubled access to primary care, increased attention to health risks in Michigan enrollees

When Michigan expanded its Medicaid program to cover more low-income residents, its leaders built in special features to encourage enrollees to understand their health risks, and incentivize them to prevent future health problems, or find them early. According to two new studies, that effort has paid off.