Evaluating Coverage, Utilization and Access to Care in Medicaid “Early Expander” States Under the Affordable Care Act

This NIHCM-funded study used a mix of qualitative interviews with state Medicaid officials and quantitative analysis of three secondary databases to examine the process and impact of expanding Medicaid eligibility in six states that opted to expand Medicaid under the ACA’s early expansion provision. The work focused on drawing out implementation lessons for other states beginning to expand Medicaid eligibility and on understanding how expanded eligibility affects insurance coverage rates, Medicaid churning and access to care.