Healthcare reform in Massachusetts was not linked to lower racial and ethnic disparities in access to healthcare, according to a recent study from Harvard researchers published in The BMJ.
Researchers chose to study healthcare reform in Massachusetts because the state enacted a law similar to that of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2006, and this provides the opportunity to analyze the impact of a more mature version of the law before the effects of the PPACA may be realized.
The Massachusetts reform aimed to extend health insurance coverage to the lowest income individuals, which was disproportionately comprised of racial and ethnic minorities, according to the report. The uninsured rate fell 6 points from the two years before the reform, 2004 to 2006, from 12 to 6 percent in 2008 to 2009.
For the study, researchers examined nearly 900,000 admissions in Massachusetts and other control group states for 12 ambulatory care sensitive conditions, which are conditions considered to be preventable with access to outpatient medical care. Examples of ACSCs include hypertension admission rates, congestive heart failure admission rates and bacterial pneumonia admission rates. They collected data from adults ages 18 to 64 admitted for any of the 12 ACSCs in the 21 months before the reform was implemented and after.
Adjusted results showed there was no change in the overall admission rate for ACSCs and there was no change in the disparities in admission rates for ACSCs between African American and white patients, or between Latino and white patients, according to the report.
More articles on finance:
CMS: 'Doc fix' is not a long-term solution to physician payment problem
Physicians, teaching hospitals: 2014 Open Payments data review and dispute period begins
Fitch affirms Doctors Community Hospital's bond rating