Did Health Care Reform Help Kentucky Address Disparities in Coverage and Access to Care among the Poor?

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To evaluate the impact of Kentucky's full rollout of the Affordable Care Act on disparities in access to care due to poverty.

Data source

Restricted version of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) for Kentucky and years 2011-2015.

Study design

We use a difference-in-differences framework to compare trends before and after implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in health insurance coverage, several access measures, and health care utilization for residents in higher versus lower poverty ZIP codes.

Principal findings

Much of the reduction in Kentucky's uninsured rate appears driven by large uptakes in coverage from areas with higher concentrations of poverty. Residents in high-poverty communities experienced larger reductions,

SUBMITTER: Benitez JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5980370 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature