Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Research Roundup: Medicaid Expansion Had A ‘Welcome Mat’ Effect On Their Children; Rural And Urban Differences In Seat Belt Use
Health Affairs: Medicaid Expansion For Adults Had Measurable ‘Welcome Mat’ Effects On Their Children
Before the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), most children in low-income families were already eligible for public insurance through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Welcome-mat effects were largest among children whose parents gained Medicaid eligibility under the ACA expansion to adults. Public coverage for these children increased by 5.7 percentage points. (Hudson and Moriya, 9/1)
Morbidity and Mortality: Rural And Urban Differences In Passenger-Vehicle–Occupant Deaths And Seat Belt Use Among Adults
Seat belt use prevented an estimated 64,000 deaths in the United States during 2011–2015. Although self-reported levels of seat belt use reached 86.9% in 2014, a marked increase in recent decades, the small percentage who still do not always use seat belts represent almost half of all occupant deaths in the United States, and rural residents are disproportionately affected. Despite differences in how rural and urban areas are defined in various studies, rurality is consistently shown to be associated with increased crash-related death rates and lower seat belt use. (Beck, Downs, Stevens, and Sauber-Schatz, 9/22)
Kaiser Family Foundation: The Effects Of Medicaid Expansion Under The ACA: Updated Findings From A Literature Review
This issue brief summarizes findings from 153 studies of the impact of state Medicaid expansions under the ACA published between January 2014 (when the coverage provisions of the ACA went into effect) and June 2017. With ACA repeal and replacement remaining a priority for the Trump Administration and Congress, this research shows that gains in coverage, improvements in access and families’ financial security, as well as economic benefits to states and providers are at stake if the Medicaid expansion is repealed. (Antonisse, Garfield, Rudowitz, and Artiga, 9/25)
Brookings: A Better Approach To Regulating Provider Network Adequacy
As health insurers become more price-competitive, they more often are selling health plans that cover fewer hospitals, and many fewer physicians, in an effort to provide greater consumer value. The federal government currently defers to states to regulate provider networks, but no clearly-preferred model has yet emerged among states. ... What is required to complement these substantive standards is a more layered regulatory approach that includes a suitable form of dispute resolution. (Hall and Ginsburg, 9/1)
