Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
George L. Wehby, Wei Lyu, Dan Shane
Summary: Recent expansions in Medicaid coverage have contributed to reducing racial and ethnic disparities in dental care utilization among adults. These expansions, particularly the inclusion of extensive dental benefits, led to an increase in dental visits and the use of preventive and treatment services among low-income non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic adults. However, access barriers and unmet oral health needs continue to be persistent among low-income adults across racial and ethnic groups.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Daniel M. Brown, Elizabeth A. Hernandez, Sara Levin, Mathijs De Vaan, Mi-Ok Kim, Chris Lynch, Anna Roth, Amanda L. Brewster
Summary: This large-scale study assessed the impact of a case management program designed to address patients' social needs on the population level. The results showed that social needs case management programs may reduce healthcare utilization, but the cost savings may not cover the program costs. More research is needed to increase patient engagement and define characteristics of successful programs.
ANNALS OF INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine
Wei Lyu, George L. Wehby
Summary: This study examined the effects of Medicaid expansions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on the number of dental visits at FQHCs. The results showed that expanding Medicaid with extensive dental benefits increased the number of dental visits at FQHCs, particularly for preventive and other dental services.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN DENTAL ASSOCIATION
(2023)
Article
Economics
Brandy J. Lipton
Summary: The study found that the design of parental Medicaid benefit packages could help reduce income-based disparities in unmet health care needs, particularly in dental benefits. Dental insurance coverage was associated with an increased likelihood of a recent dental visit, with child effects appearing to be concentrated among children under age 12.
JOURNAL OF HEALTH ECONOMICS
(2021)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Steven C. Hill, Salam Abdus
Summary: The study found that Medicaid enrollment can decrease the probability of unmet medical care needs and delays in obtaining prescription drugs, while also increasing the probability of having a usual source of care, undergoing routine checkups, and receiving a flu shot.
HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Bita Fayaz Farkhad, David R. Holtgrave, Dolores Albarracin
Summary: Medicaid expansions were associated with an increase in HIV diagnoses, awareness of HIV status, and pre-exposure prophylaxis use, especially in low-income, rural areas. The expansions also led to a decrease in gonorrhea incidence, while no impact was observed on incident HIV, substance use, or sexually transmitted infection rates. Overall, expanding public health insurance may play a key role in curbing the HIV epidemic.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Joanne Constantin, George L. Wehby
Summary: This study examines the effects of the 2014 Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion on infant mortality by race and ethnicity over a six-year period. The findings indicate that the expansion is associated with a decline in mortality rates for Black and Hispanic infants.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Brandy J. Lipton, Tracy L. Finlayson, Sandra L. Decker, Richard J. Manski, Mingan Yang
Summary: The study found that Medicaid adult dental coverage can significantly reduce the prevalence of untreated caries among children and improve parent-reported child oral health, especially for children under twelve. The effects were observed across different racial and ethnic subgroups, with non-Hispanic Black children potentially benefiting more from the policy.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Courtney M. Hill, Michael P. Jones, Donald L. Chi
Summary: This study examines the impact of adult dental benefit cuts on child dental use in Washington state Medicaid and finds that the cuts affect different demographic subgroups differently. The elimination of adult dental benefits leads to a gradual decrease in dental examinations among children with Medicaid-enrolled adults in the same household, with children under the age of 6 being the most affected. Policymakers should consider the effects of these benefit cuts on children's access to dental care.
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Erica L. Eliason, Amanda Spishak-Thomas, Maria W. Steenland
Summary: The implementation of the Affordable Care Act has led to an increase in postpartum contraceptive use, particularly for long-acting reversible contraception.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Samantha A. House, Matthew Hall, Shawn L. Ralston, Jennifer R. Marin, Eric R. Coon, Alan R. Schroeder, Heidi Gruhler De Souza, Amber Davidson, Patti Duda, Timmy Ho, Marquita C. Genies, Marcos Mestre, Mario A. Reyes
Summary: By developing and applying a calculator for pediatric low-value care, a study analyzed the prevalence and cost of low-value services in 1,011,950 encounters reported in 49 children's hospitals. The findings indicated that low-value care for certain pediatric services was prevalent and costly.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Suhang Song, James E. Kucik
Summary: This study evaluates the trends in the impact of Medicaid expansion on the use of clinical preventive services and finds that Medicaid expansion may be associated with sustainably increased use of recommended clinical preventive services among the lower-income population.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Economics
Sayeh Nikpay
Summary: Federal hospital safety-net subsidy programs have poor target efficiency, leading to inaccurate allocation of funds. The study finds that Medicaid expansion increases the participation of non-safety-net hospitals in subsidy programs, while Medicaid contraction results in the opposite outcome.
JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMICS
(2022)
Article
Economics
Melanie Guldi, Sarah Hamersma
Summary: Prior research has focused on the short-term and long-term effects of Medicaid eligibility expansions on birth outcomes and adult outcomes. This study examines the early childhood effects using data from the National Maternal and Infant Health Survey. The findings suggest that these expansions lead to earlier prenatal care, modest improvements in birthweight and gestational age, and reduced levels of maternal depression, which ultimately contribute to the longer-term improvements in child developmental scores.
JOURNAL OF HEALTH ECONOMICS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Haijiang Yang, Xiaohua Gou, Bing Xue, Jing Xu, Yuxin Wei, Weijing Ma
Summary: Ecosystem services play a crucial role in global economic development and should be studied comprehensively across multiple sites, two directions, and temporal and spatial scales. The study shows that ecosystem service spillover effects are significant in western China, with a large number of people in eastern China and neighboring countries benefiting from these effects. The positive feedback effect of telecoupling is critical for protecting the environment and improving livelihoods in ecologically fragile areas. Strengthening ecological compensation cooperation and international collaboration is necessary to maintain the cross-regional flow of ecosystem services.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Editorial Material
Health Care Sciences & Services
Sunita Desai, Eric Roberts
BMJ QUALITY & SAFETY
(2021)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Tumader Khouja, Jacqueline M. Burgette, Julie M. Donohue, Eric T. Roberts
HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
(2020)
Letter
Health Care Sciences & Services
Eric T. Roberts, Alexandra Glynn, Julie M. Donohue, Lindsay M. Sabik
JOURNAL OF GENERAL INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Eric T. Roberts, Sunita M. Desai
Summary: The study assessed changes in physicians' provision of care to duals in response to a policy that required Medicaid to fully pay Medicare's cost sharing for office visits with these patients. The results showed that physicians' provision of care to low-income Medicare beneficiaries may not be responsive to short-run payment changes.
HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
(2021)
Editorial Material
Medicine, General & Internal
Joseph T. Kannarkat, Eric T. Roberts
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Alistair James O'Malley, Bruce E. Landon, Lawrence A. Zaborski, Eric T. Roberts, Hazar H. Khidir, Peter B. Smulowitz, John Michael McWilliams
Summary: This study examines the potential bias in estimating the correlation between provider effects on different patient populations when using separate stratified analyses compared to joint modeling. Results show that joint modeling is generally less biased and more accurate, especially in small sample sizes, due to bivariate shrinkage benefits.
HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Alexandra Glynn, Inmaculada Hernandez, Eric T. Roberts
Summary: The study aims to assess the take-up of the Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) among Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes and examine the out-of-pocket costs and prescription drug use of non-enrollees. Findings suggest that despite the financial assistance provided by the LIS, there is a significant under-utilization of the program among individuals with chronic conditions requiring consistent medication.
HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Monica S. Aswani, Eric T. Roberts
Summary: Peer grouping has limitations in accounting for differences in hospitals' patient populations, and it may not fully protect hospitals from penalties linked to changes in patient mix.
HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Eric T. Roberts, Jennifer M. Mellor, Melissa P. McInerny, Lindsay M. Sabik
Summary: This study evaluates the impact of an abrupt drop-off in Medicaid dental coverage on access to dental care among low-income Medicare beneficiaries. The findings show that this coverage cliff exacerbates barriers to dental care access. Expanding dental coverage for Medicare beneficiaries, especially those who are ineligible for Medicaid, could alleviate this issue.
HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
(2023)
Letter
Medicine, General & Internal
Anna Patterson, Taylor J. Robinson, Eric T. Roberts
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Teresa L. Rogstad, Shweta Gupta, John Connolly, William H. Shrank, Eric T. Roberts
Summary: Adjusting value-based payment programs for social risk factors can reduce differences in risk-adjusted readmissions and penalties between safety-net hospitals and other hospitals, without obscuring quality differences between hospitals.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Eric T. Roberts, Jennifer M. Mellor
Summary: Policy makers are exploring strategies to integrate Medicare and Medicaid coverage for dual eligibles, with Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) serving as Medicare Advantage plans exclusively for this population. This study found that, compared to traditional Medicare, dual eligibles generally reported better access to care, higher use of preventive services, and greater satisfaction with care in D-SNPs. However, there were fewer differences in these outcomes between dual eligibles in D-SNPs and those in other Medicare Advantage plans. Additionally, dual eligibles of color were less likely to report receiving better care in D-SNPs compared to other forms of Medicare coverage.
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Julie M. Donohue, Evan S. Cole, Cara V. James, Marian Jarlenski, Jamila D. Michener, Eric T. Roberts
Summary: Medicaid plays a crucial role in providing health insurance coverage for low-income individuals in the US. Despite facing fiscal and political pressures, it strives to address health disparities and inequalities and ensure equitable access to quality healthcare services.
JAMA-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Eric T. Roberts, Youngmin Kwon, Alexandra G. Hames, J. Michael McWilliams, John Z. Ayanian, Renuka Tipirneni
JAMA INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Eric T. Roberts, Zirui Song, Lin Ding, J. Michael McWilliams
Summary: Major healthcare practices tend to select patient experience measures voluntarily for performance-based payment programs if they scored higher on these measures previously. However, mandating public reporting on patient experience measures does not necessarily lead to improved patient experiences.