Early Impact of the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid Expansion on Dental Care Use.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To examine the impact of the Affordable Care Act on dental care use among poor adults ages 21-64 in 2014.

Data

2010-2014 Gallup-Healthways Wellbeing Index Survey.

Study design

Among poor adults with income at or below 138% of the Federal Poverty Level, a differences-in-differences analysis was used to compare the changes in dental care use in states with different Medicaid expansion and adult dental policies.

Principal findings

Relative to the pre-reform period and other states, in Medicaid expansion states with adult dental benefits, dental care use increased between 2 and 6 percent points in the second half of 2014, but most of these changes were not statistically significant.

Conclusions

Early evidence suggests that the Affordable Care Act m

SUBMITTER: Nasseh K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5682155 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature