- With expansion of Medicaid, some states are identifying more new diabetes cases, By Sabrina Tavernise, March 23, 2015, New York Times: “The number of new diabetes cases identified among poor Americans has surged in states that have embraced the Affordable Care Act, but not in those that have not, a new study has found, suggesting that the health care law may be helping thousands of people get earlier treatment for one of this country’s costliest medical conditions. One in 10 Americans have diabetes, and nearly a third of cases have not been diagnosed. The disease takes a toll if it is caught too late, eventually causing heart attacks, blindness, kidney failure and leg and foot amputations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the disease accounts for $176 billion in medical costs annually. The poor and minorities are disproportionately affected…”
- Diabetes study shows benefits of expanded Medicaid under Obamacare, By Noam N. Levey, March 23, 2015, Los Angeles Times: “Low-income patients with diabetes are getting better access to medical care in states that have expanded Medicaid coverage through the Affordable Care Act, suggests a new study that provides one of the first indications of the sweeping law’s health effects. Residents of other states are at risk of being left behind. The number of Medicaid patients with newly identified diabetes surged 23% in states that expanded their programs, an option provided by the law, but there was virtually no increase in states that declined to expand coverage, researchers found…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty