Impact of the Affordable Care Act Medicaid Expansion on Utilization of Mental Health Care.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansions (ME) increased insurance coverage for low-income Americans, among whom unmet need for mental health care is high. Empirical evidence regarding the impact of expanding insurance coverage on use of mental health services among low income and minority populations is lacking.

Methods

Data on mental health service use collected between 2007 and 2015 by the Medical Expenditures Panel Survey from nationally representative cross-sectional samples of low income (income<138% of the federal poverty line) adults were analyzed. Use trends among people in states that expanded Medicaid (ME states; n=29,827) were compared with concurrent trends among people in states that did not (non-ME states; n=22,873), with statistical adjustment

SUBMITTER: Breslau J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7483910 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature