Low-income adults report better access to care, health after coverage expanded

In addition to marked increases in health coverage, low-income adults in Kentucky and Arkansas reported improved access to care and better health two years after health insurance coverage was expanded under the Affordable Care Act, compared with similar adults in the non-expansion state of Texas, according to a study published online yesterday by JAMA Internal Medicine. Kentucky expanded Medicaid primarily through managed care, while Arkansas used federal Medicaid funding to expand private coverage to low-income adults through the ACA marketplace. “As Kentucky and Arkansas reconsider the future of their expansions, our study (along with evidence on the financial benefits to these states of expansion) provides support for staying the course,” the authors said. “For other states still considering whether to expand, our study suggests that coverage expansion under the ACA – whether via Medicaid or private coverage – can produce substantial benefits for low-income populations.”