May 15, 2018
Medicaid Expansion Reduced Out-of-Pocket Expenses for Americans Near or Below Poverty Level
Joelle Abramowitz’ new study, The Effect of ACA State Medicaid Expansions on Medical Out-of-Pocket Expenditures, found that in states which expanded Medicaid, people near or below the poverty level had fewer out-of-pocket medical expenses. Expansion also led some workers to drop their employer-provided insurance in favor of Medicaid. Abramowitz says, “…I think what this highlights is the potential that the coverage they were getting through employers may have been of lower quality such that they couldn’t afford the out-of-pocket costs associated with getting care, and accordingly, couldn't make use of the coverage.”
Read the Michigan News article, Medicaid expansion leaves more money in recipients’ pockets
Read the journal article: Abramowitz (2018). The Effect of ACA State Medicaid Expansions on Medical Out-of-Pocket Expenditures. Medical Care Research and Review.