Featured Research

Virtually Every State Experienced Deteriorating Access to Care for Adults over the Past Decade
Genevieve M. Kenney, Stephen Zuckerman, Dana Goin, Stacey McMorrow

We use the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to explore state-level changes in access to care over the past decade for all nonelderly adults and for uninsured adults. Deterioration in access to care was evident in virtually every state and the situation was worse for the uninsured than for other adults in most states. At the end of the decade, the uninsured were at a dramatic disadvantage relative to the insured. This analysis suggests that the potential benefits of the coverage expansion in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are large and exist in every state. Read more 

A Decade of Health Care Access Declines For Adults Hold Implications For Changes In The Affordable Care Act
Genevieve M. Kenney, Stacey McMorrow, Stephen Zuckerman, Dana Goin

The pending Supreme Court decision and next fall’s election raise concerns about what would happen if the insurance expansion in the Affordable Care Act was curtailed. The National Health Interview Surveys for 2000 to 2010 show that access and use for non-elderly adults – the primary targets of the ACA - deteriorated throughout the decade, particularly among those who are uninsured. Children – many of whom qualify for Medicaid and CHIP – generally maintained or improved their access to care. This provides a reason for optimism about the ability of the ACA to improve access for adults, but suggests that eliminating the ACA would likely result in continued erosion of adults’ access to care. Read more 

Medicare, Medicaid and the Deficit Debate
John Holahan, Stacey McMorrow

Understanding what is driving the spending growth in Medicare and Medicaid is important for identifying appropriate policies to address it. This paper finds that spending in both programs has been and will continue to be significantly affected by growth in enrollment. Over the next decade, projections suggest that annual growth in spending per enrollee in both programs will be close to growth in GDP per capita, a target often advocated by those concerned with the nation’s deficit. These findings suggest a need for continued vigilance in monitoring Medicare and Medicaid spending levels and growth, but do not support an argument for major restructuring of either program. Read more