Medicaid expansion has positive effect on diabetes management

(HealthDay)—Medicaid expansion has significant positive effects on self-reported diabetes management, with substantial improvements seen in states with large diabetes populations, according to a study published online Oct. 24 in Diabetes Care.

Jusung Lee, Ph.D., from the School of Public Health at Texas A&M University in College Station, and colleagues used a difference-in-differences approach to assess the impact of the Medicaid expansion on self-reported access to health care, self-reported diabetes management, and self-reported health status following Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. Data were included for 22,335 individuals with diagnosed diabetes from the 2011 to 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

The researchers found that compared with non-Medicaid expansion states, there were significant improvements in Medicaid expansion states for self-reported access to health care (estimated score change of 0.09), diabetes management (estimated score change of 1.91), and health status (estimated score change of 0.10). Among states with large populations with diabetes, substantial improvements were reported in states that expanded Medicaid versus those that did not expand.

"The findings of the current study provide policy implications not just for the diabetes care community, but also for policy makers at all levels in America in their efforts toward diabetes management and its control," the authors write.

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