15,600 deaths associated with not expanding Medicaid, report finds

Roughly 15,600 older adults died prematurely from 2014-17 in states that didn't expand Medicaid under the ACA, according to a report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a progressive think tank.

On the flip side, in states that expanded Medicaid, the lives of at least 19,200 older adults were saved, according to the report. In total, older adults who gained Medicaid coverage saw an estimated 39 to 64 percent reduction in annual mortality rates.

"This new evidence that thousands of lives are at stake should give states that have not yet expanded Medicaid one more reason to do so. It should also finally put to rest claims that Medicaid doesn't provide quality coverage," researchers said. 

Read the full report here.

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