Increased Medicaid Coverage Is Not Improving Low Birth Weight

Marc JoffeWith so many people obtaining Medicaid coverage in the wake of the Affordable Care Act and during the pandemic, it is worth investigating whether this expanded eligibility is improving health outcomes. Overall, decreases in theproportion of uninsured individuals over the last decade are not being matched by improved life expectancy. Indeed, life expectancy at birth in 2021was lower than it was when the Affordable Care Act passed. But this fact tells us little about the benefits of Medicaid coverage since the decline has been driven in large part by COVID-19 deaths among elderly patients (often not on Medicaid) as well as increased mortality fromaccidents anddrug overdoses.To better gauge the benefits of Medicaid, it is necessary to look at more specific health indicators. The federal Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS) compiles a  large variety ofhealthcare quality measures that could help us analyze outcomes. Unfortunately, most of these measures are not available for all states and all years, making it difficult to assess performance in a  systematic way.One indicator that is generally available isthe rate of low birth weight, which is the percentage of newborns weighing less than 2500  grams, or about five pounds eight ounces. Low birth weight (LBW) babieshave“a higher risk of morbidity, stunting in childhood, and long‐​term developmental and physical ill health including adult‐​onset chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease.” Con...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs