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mapVirtually 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 

doctor's officeA 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 

Capitol moneyMedicare, 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

QuestionEverything You Wanted to Know About Health Care Reform, but were Afraid to Ask


The Urban Institute's Health Policy Center has released a series of short briefs answering some of the most frequently asked questions about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.  The 16 briefs cover the impacts of reform on the states, particular types of consumers, health care providers, health care costs, and the federal budget and the economy as well as the status of legal challenges brought by some states. Read more 



 

Immediate Issues
The Urban Institute is undertaking a comprehensive monitoring and tracking project to examine the implementation and effects of the ACA in ten states. Derived from extensive interviews with state officials and health care stakeholders, this series of reports documents each state’s progress in establishing an exchange, implementing insurance reforms, and preparing for an expansion of Medicaid. Read more

Immediate Issues
The reforms implemented in Massachusetts in 2006 became the template for the Affordable Care Act. The Urban Institute has conducted numerous studies of Massachusetts' ambitious effort to transform its health care system. Read more

Immediate Issues
Declining Health Insurance in Low-Income Working Families and Small Businesses

The Individual Mandate in Perspective

The Coverage and Cost Effects of Implementation of the Affordable Care Act in New York State

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation: Activity on Many Fronts

Health Reform Modeling CapacityThe UI Health Policy Center staff has developed a sophisticated microsimulation model that is used to estimate the impacts of health reforms and to inform policy design choices at the state and national levels.  Learn more about the HIPSM model.

 
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Medicare, Medicaid and the Deficit Debate (Policy Briefs/Timely Analysis of Health Policy Issues)
John Holahan, Stacey McMorrow
Publication Date: April 19, 2012
 


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