Findings show great variation in reducing uninsurance for Black, Hispanic, and low-income adults <\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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FRIDAY, July 30, 2021 (HealthDay News) — There is substantial variation by state in reducing uninsurance for Black, Hispanic, and low-income Americans under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to a study published online July 21 in Health Equity<\/em>.<\/p>\n Gregory Lines, M.D., from Cambridge Health Alliance in Massachusetts, and colleagues used data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System from 2012 to 2016 (excluding 2014) to assess state-level variation in changes in uninsurance among Black, Hispanic, and low-income Americans after implementation of the ACA.<\/p>\n The researchers found that there was substantial variation in the range of percentage point reduction in uninsurance across states: 19-fold for Black, 18-fold for Hispanic, and 23-fold for low-income adults. There was also substantial variation in state-level changes in uninsurance relative to baseline. More than one-quarter of Black, half of Hispanic, and nearly half of low-income adults remained uninsured after full implementation of the ACA in some states. States in the highest quintile of change in coverage experienced greater improvements in ability to see a physician versus states in the lowest quintile of change in coverage.<\/p>\n “The poor performance of many states under the ACA essentially locked in the high levels of uninsurance that those states entered the COVID-19 pandemic with,” a study author said in a statement. “This has likely translated into greater difficulty accessing COVID-19 care and worse health outcomes for these populations at highest risk.”<\/p>\n