Skip to main content
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Current News
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • Digital Health
    • Transformation
    • ESG
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Opinion
    • Bold Moves
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Vital Signs Blog
    • From the Editor
  • Events & Awards
    • Awards
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Virtual Briefings
    • Webinars
    • Nominate/Eligibility
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Excellence in Governance
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • Top Innovators
    • Diversity in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
      • - Leaders to Watch
    • Women in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Women Leaders
      • - Women to Watch
    • Digital Health Transformation Summit
    • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
    • - Hospital of the Future
    • - Value Based Care
    • - Hospital at Home
    • - Workplace of the Future
    • - Digital Health
    • - Future of Staffing
    • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
  • Multimedia
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Video Series - The Check Up
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
  • Data Center
    • Data Center Home
    • Hospital Financials
    • Staffing & Compensation
    • Quality & Safety
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Data Archive
    • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
    • Surveys
    • Data Points
  • Newsletters
  • MORE+
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Medicaid
November 04, 2019 04:00 PM

Medicaid expansion reduced preventable hospitalizations

Harris Meyer
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print

    With political battles continuing over Medicaid expansion, a new study found states that expanded Medicaid saw greater reductions than non-expansion states in hospital admissions, length of stay and hospital costs for conditions that can be managed with ambulatory care.

    States that expanded coverage to low-income adults under the Affordable Care Act saw a 3.5% reduction in annual "ambulatory-care sensitive" condition discharge rates, and a 3.1% drop in inpatient days in 2014 and 2015, according to the study published Monday in Health Affairs. Hospital costs dipped by nearly 3%.

    The decline in discharge rates in expansion states was concentrated among chronic respiratory conditions, diabetes-related complications, and bacterial pneumonia.

    The findings suggest Medicaid expansion could save money and lower preventable hospitalizations, the authors wrote.

    The study comes out as Tuesday's gubernatorial elections in three conservative states may turn partly on how voters feel about Medicaid expansion, and as several other conservative states consider implementing it. Polls show Medicaid expansion is popular among both Democrats and Republicans. Last month, expansion advocates in Oklahoma filed enough petition signatures to get the issue on the ballot next November.

    Meanwhile, the expansion and all other parts of the ACA could be erased if the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declares President Barack Obama's signature law unconstitutional.

    The new Health Affairs paper is consistent with a large and growing body of research showing that Medicaid expansion is associated with increased coverage, service use, quality of care and federal and state Medicaid spending. There are conflicting studies, however, about the impact on hospitalization rates.

    "This study is another piece of evidence that Medicaid expansion gets people more care, so people with chronic conditions can stay out of the hospital," said Dr. Benjamin Sommers, a health policy professor at Harvard University. "We can probably stop arguing about whether expanding Medicaid helps people. It's pretty clear it does."

    Still, Sommers said there is a need to study why Medicaid expansion's impact seems to vary by state and population group.

    A separate study in Health Affairs on Monday found an urgent need for data sharing and integration between the medical, behavioral and social care systems that serve Medicaid patients who are frequent emergency department users.

    Studying data on Medicaid patients from 2012 to 2015 in San Francisco, the researchers found that frequent ED users tend to be sicker than non-frequent users and have more behavioral health and social service needs. But services are often delivered in silos, without providers communicating or coordinating between the different service sectors.

    "Behavioral health, medical health, and social services providers must share data to identify and address the needs of this population—which can range from poorly controlled diabetes to housing instability, and from addiction to unemployment—in an integrated, coordinated and comprehensive manner," the authors wrote.

    On Tuesday, voters in Kentucky, Louisiana and Mississippi will weigh in on the future of Medicaid expansion, which polls show is popular among both Democrats and Republicans. The candidates in all three states have raised expansion as a major issue.

    Kentucky's Republican Gov. Matt Bevin, who has threatened to end his state's expansion if the courts throw out his Medicaid work requirement, faces a Democrat, Andy Beshear, who promises to protect the expansion spearheaded by his father, former Gov. Steve Beshear.

    In Louisiana, Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, who pushed through expansion in 2015, faces Republican Eddie Rispone, who wants to freeze enrollment and impose a work requirement.

    In Mississippi, where the candidates are running for an open seat, Democrat Jim Hood supports expansion while Republican Tate Reeves opposes it.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    Copy of 110220-regionals2-medicaid_WEB_i.jpg
    Health systems nervous as Medicaid redeterminations threaten shaky bottom lines
    Medicaid website 2
    CMS seeks to align Medicaid managed care, fee-for-service policies
    Most Popular
    1
    More healthcare organizations at risk of credit default, Moody's says
    2
    Centene fills out senior executive team with new president, COO
    3
    SCAN, CareOregon plan to merge into the HealthRight Group
    4
    Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan unveils big push that lets physicians take on risk, reap rewards
    5
    Bright Health weighs reverse stock split as delisting looms
    Sponsored Content
    Daily Dose Newsletter: Sign up to receive a late afternoon weekday roundup of that day’s breaking news and developments in healthcare.
    Get Newsletters

    Sign up for enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today
    MH Magazine Cover

    MH magazine offers content that sheds light on healthcare leaders’ complex choices and touch points—from strategy, governance, leadership development and finance to operations, clinical care, and marketing.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Modern Healthcare empowers industry leaders to succeed by providing unbiased reporting of the news, insights, analysis and data.

    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Current News
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Digital Health
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • ESG
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Opinion
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Events & Awards
      • Awards
        • Nominate/Eligibility
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Excellence in Governance
        • Health Care Hall of Fame
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
        • Top Innovators
        • Diversity in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
          • - Leaders to Watch
        • Women in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Women Leaders
          • - Women to Watch
      • Conferences
        • Digital Health Transformation Summit
        • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
        • Leadership Symposium
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
      • Galas
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Hospital of the Future
        • - Value Based Care
        • - Hospital at Home
        • - Workplace of the Future
        • - Digital Health
        • - Future of Staffing
        • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
      • Webinars
    • Multimedia
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Video Series - The Check Up
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • Data Center
      • Data Center Home
      • Hospital Financials
      • Staffing & Compensation
      • Quality & Safety
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Data Archive
      • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
      • Surveys
      • Data Points
    • Newsletters
    • MORE+
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing