Expanding Medicaid to Low-Income Adults Leads to Improved Health, Fewer Deaths

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/2012-releases/medicaid-expansion-lower-mortality.html

July 25, 2012
Harvard School of Public Health

Boston, MA - A new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) finds that expanding Medicaid to low-income adults leads to widespread gains in coverage, access to care, and—most importantly—improved health and reduced mortality. It is the first published study to look specifically at the effect of recent state Medicaid expansions on mortality among low-income adults, and the findings suggest that expanding coverage to the uninsured may save lives.

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The HSPH researchers, including senior author Arnold Epstein, chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management, and Katherine Baicker, professor of health economics, analyzed data from three states—Arizona, Maine, and New York—that had expanded their Medicaid programs to childless adults (aged 20-64) between 2000 and 2005. They selected four neighboring states without major Medicaid expansions—New Hampshire (for Maine), Pennsylvania (for New York), and Nevada and New Mexico (for Arizona)—as controls. The researchers analyzed data from five years before and after each state’s expansion.

The results showed that Medicaid expansions in three states were associated with a significant reduction in mortality of 6.1% compared with neighboring states that did not expand Medicaid, which corresponds to 2,840 deaths prevented per year for each 500,000 adults gaining Medicaid coverage. Mortality reductions were greatest among older adults, non-whites, and residents of poorer counties. Expansions also were associated with increased Medicaid coverage, decreased uninsurance, decreased rates of deferring care due to costs, and increased rates of “excellent” or “very good” self-reported health.

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http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-forward/2013/01/06/georgia-should-say-yes-to-medicaid-expansion/

Georgia should say yes to Medicaid expansion
6:05 pm January 6, 2013, by Andre Jackson, Editorial Editor
By Janet Cummings

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Outside the medical field, the Medicaid expansion would also benefit many of Georgia’s small business owners. Under the federal law, businesses with more than 50 full-time employees must offer health insurance to their employees or pay a penalty based on the number of workers. If Georgia opts out of the expansion, employers could be responsible for providing insurance to thousands of workers who would have otherwise qualified for Medicaid. Franchise owners of restaurants and retail businesses, for example, could lose a lot of money if Georgia does not participate.

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