A new review of studies published since the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion has concluded that expansion improved care, access to care, and coverage in states that expanded their Medicaid programs.

Among the improvements cited by studies are:

  • greater use of primary care
  • more preventive health visits
  • more behavioral health care
  • shorter hospital stays
  • fewer avoidable hospital admissions
  • reduced access problems
  • reduced reliance on hospital ERs as a primary source of care
  • improved monitoring and compliance rates for patients with diabetes and hypertension
  • higher rates of screening for prostate cancer and Pap smears

In addition, hospitals provided less uncompensated care and had better margins.

Learn more in the Health Affairs study “The Effects Of Medicaid Expansion Under The ACA:  A Systematic Review,” which can be found here, or go here for a Healthcare Dive summary of the study.