Health Insurance Coverage and Access to Care

Costs of expanding health coverage reduced by fewer hospital stays, study shows, By Guy Boulton, June 3, 2013, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “A state health insurance program that provided improved access to care for adults with very low incomes in Milwaukee County sharply reduced hospitalizations, suggesting that the cost of expanding coverage could be partially offset by the money saved from fewer high-cost hospital stays, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The study, which was published Monday in the policy journal Health Affairs, found an increase in visits to clinics and emergency departments, but a 59% drop in hospitalizations and a 48% drop in preventable hospitalizations. The study supports the idea that if people, particularly those with chronic illnesses, have better access to care, they may be able to manage their health better, said Thomas DeLeire, a professor of public affairs and economics and director of the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW-Madison…”