A study published in BMC Health Services Research found that expanding Medicaid eligibility is associated with significant improvements in care for low-income patients with coronary artery disease, heart failure, heart rhythm issues and cerebrovascular disease. The study observed trends from 2012 to 2015 in eight states that expanded Medicaid eligibility in 2014 and five that didn’t. Data included 143 million patients averaging 56 years in age. Overall, Medicaid expansion was associated with a 19% increase in the likelihood that a new Medicaid patient would receive high-value prescriptions for heart-related ailments, diabetes mellitus, depression, and osteoporosis. In states that did not expand Medicaid eligibility, the likelihood of a new Medicaid patient receiving one of those prescriptions or treatments decreased by 24%.

Reference: Parzuchowski, A., Oronce, C., Guo, R. et al. Evaluating the accessibility and value of U.S. ambulatory care among Medicaid expansion states and non-expansion states, 2012–2015. BMC Health Serv Res 23, 723 (2023).