What is Medicaid’s Impact on Access to Care, Health Outcomes, and Quality of Care? Setting the Record Straight on the Evidence

Medicaid now covers more than 1 in every 5 Americans, and millions of uninsured individuals will become newly eligible for Medicaid under the ACA. Considering Medicaid’s large and growing coverage role, an evidence-based assessment of the program’s impact on access to care, health outcomes, and quality of care is of major interest. This brief takes a look at what the research literature shows regarding the difference Medicaid makes.

Larry Levitt’s July 2013 column on why the Affordable Care Act is targeting young people is now available on The JAMA Forum.

In March 2013, the Kaiser Family Foundation convened key HIV/AIDS stakeholders from a variety of backgrounds to explore opportunities for maximizing the beneficial impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for people living with HIV and examine strategies to help them navigate the transition to new health coverage. This report summarizes the information shared and key issues discussed at the meeting.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) could help many uninsured Blacks through the law’s expansion of Medicaid and the creation of new health insurance exchange marketplaces with tax credits to help moderate-income people purchase coverage. This brief provides an overview of the Black population in the U.S., their health coverage today and the potential impact of the ACA coverage expansions.

The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured convened a focus group discussion with Medicaid directors who serve on the Board of the National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD). The discussion focused on state progress and concerns about implementing the ACA including eligibility system changes and state action on the Medicaid expansion decision as well as activity around payment and delivery system reform, and other budget and enrollment trends. The discussion took place in May 2013. Nine Medicaid directors from the NAMD Board plus the Michigan Medicaid Director and NAMD staff participated in the discussion. The following states were represented: Arizona, California, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.

This issue brief provides background about Medicaid premium assistance in the individual health insurance market, summarizes major components of Arkansas’ Section 1115 demonstration waiver application to implement the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion through premium assistance, and considers key issues affecting beneficiaries.

As states wrap up legislative sessions and make decisions about whether to implement the Medicaid expansion included in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), this new analysis highlights the implications of these decisions for coverage, state budgets and providers. The decisions by as many as 27 states not to adopt the Medicaid expansion will leave a many more uninsured; these states would also forgo billions in federal funds.

This brief provides and update of the health care and health policy environment in California, discussing the budgetary environment, implementation of the state’s “Bridge to Reform” Medicaid waiver, and efforts to prepare for coverage expansions and new coverage options in 2014 under the Affordable Care Act.

This brief examines how health service providers, plan administrators, and community-based organizations in Contra Costa, Kern, and Los Angeles Counties experienced the transition of Medi-Cal-only seniors and persons with disabilities (SPDs) to managed care as part of the state’s “Bridge to Reform” Medicaid waiver. Findings presented may inform similar transitions of high-need beneficiaries in other states and coverage expansions in 2014 under the Affordable Care Act.

This brief explores key provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for people with HIV, and the opportunities and challenges for using the law to improve HIV care, particularly in light of the Supreme Court’s 2012 ruling on the law.