Does Medicaid Insurance Confer Adequate Access to Adult Orthopaedic Care in the Era of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act?

CONCLUSIONS: In this two-part survey study, we found that a simulated patient with commercial insurance was more likely to have their insurance accepted and to gain timely access to orthopaedic care than a patient with Medicaid. Academic practice setting and increased Medicaid reimbursement rates were associated with increased access to care for the patient with Medicaid. Inequality in access to orthopaedic care based on health insurance status likely exists for the adult patient with Medicaid. Furthermore, Medicaid expansion has likely realized minimal gains in access to care for the adult orthopaedic patient. Further research is needed in delineating the patient-payer selection criteria used by orthopaedic practices to aid policymakers in reforming the Medicaid program and comprehensibly addressing this access to care disparity.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II, prognostic study.
PMID: 28224441 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research - February 20, 2017 Category: Orthopaedics Authors: Labrum JT, Paziuk T, Rihn TC, Hilibrand AS, Vaccaro AR, Maltenfort MG, Rihn JA Tags: Clin Orthop Relat Res Source Type: research