Effects of the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid Expansion Provision on the Uninsured Rate: A State-by-State Analysis
File(s)
Date
2017-05-12Author
Jones, Taylor
Advisor(s)
Siemers, Sarinda Taengnoi
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, is a reform of
the United States health care system passed by Congress in 2010. The goal is to
increase the number of insured citizens and reduce the cost of health care. The major
provisions include the individual mandate, Medicaid expansion, extension of coverage
of insurance plans that offer dependent coverage, and reduction of inefficiency in
Medicare spending. This analysis addresses the following: How has the Medicaid
expansion provision of the ACA affected the uninsured rate? How does the change
in the uninsured rate differ between expansion and non-expansion states? What
other variables can explain the variation in the uninsured rate across states? This
study combines data from three different sources: the Kaiser Family Foundation, the
American Community Survey, and the U.S. Census Bureau. Data is analyzed for the
years 2013 (pre-Medicaid expansion) and 2014 (post-Medicaid expansion). Statistical
analysis and econometric methods, particularly multiple regression, are used to predict
the effects of the ACA on the uninsured rate. My findings reveal that the Medicaid
expansion provision has had a significant impact in reducing the number of uninsured
citizens. Overall, states that expanded Medicaid indicated successful outcomes, with
southern expansion showing even greater health coverage outcomes.
Subject
Affordable Care Act
Health care
Medicaid