External Determinants of Veterans' Utilization of VA Health Care.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Veterans' utilization of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care is likely influenced by community factors external to the VA, including Medicaid eligibility and unemployment, although such factors are rarely considered in models predicting such utilization. We measured the sensitivity of VA utilization to changes in such community factors (hereafter, "external determinants"), including the 2014 Medicaid expansion following the Affordable Care Act.

Data sources/study setting

We merged VA health care enrollment and utilization data with area-level data on Medicaid policy, unemployment, employer-sponsored insurance, housing prices, and non-VA physician availability (2008-2014).

Study design

For veterans aged 18-64 and ≥65, we estimated the sensitivity of annual indi

SUBMITTER: Hanchate AD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6232405 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature