State Benchmarking, Healthcare Outcomes, and Implications for People with Disabilities (December 2016)

Principal Investigator: Kathleen Thomas, PhD, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

The goal of this study is to improve the physical and economic health of people with disabilities using evidence on state insurance benchmarking strategies that support improved access and quality healthcare for people with disabilities. The researchers will use data from the Health Reform Monitoring Survey (HRMS), a nationally representative online survey of approximately 7,400 non-elderly adults that is designed to allow rapid cycle monitoring of changes in coverage, health care access, and affordability under the ACA to accomplish the following:

1. Combine state benchmarking strategies for Medicaid, expansion coverage, marketplace, and employer-sponsored plans with the HRMS. 
2. Test the impact of ACA insurance benchmarking reforms on access to care and employment for people with disabilities.