The Effect of the ACA Medicaid Expansion on Safety Net Hospital Utilization (2014)

Principal Investigator: Peter Cunningham, PhD, Virginia Commonwealth University

This project will help policy-makers understand the extent to which utilization of safety net hospitals has changed in response to the ACA coverage provisions. The researchers will examine the impact of California's early Medicaid expansion on inpatient and emergency department utilization at safety net hospitals using data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). The researchers will use a difference-in-differences analysis to compare changes in safety net hospital utilization in California with changes in utilization in three neighboring states (Arizona, Nevada, and Washington) that did not expand Medicaid prior to 2014. The researchers will also examine differences in the extent of changes in hospital utilization in California by type of safety net hospital; the extent of the eligibility expansion in each county; and changes in the number and percent uninsured in the county between 2010 and 2013.

Publications

Trends in Hospital Inpatient Admissions Following Early Medicaid Expansion in California
(September 2016, Paper)

Using HCUP Data for State Health Policy Analysis: A Case Study Examining the Impacts of an Early Medicaid Expansion
(April 2016, Issue Brief) 

The Effects of Early Medicaid Expansions in California on Hospital Utilization
(January 2016, Presentation at Virginia Commonwealth University)

The Effects of Early Medicaid Expansions in California on Inpatient Utilization of Safety Net Hospitals
(November 2015, Presentation at APPAM Fall Research Conference)