Health & Healthcare in America: From Economics to Policy

June 22 - 25, 2014

Understanding the effects of the Affordable Care Act on the use of hospital inpatient and emergency department services

How will healthcare reform (ACA) affect hospital inpatient and emergency department utilization? Three studies, each using data from AHRQ’s Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, address this question from different perspectives. Two studies focus on the effect of Medicaid expansions on utilization rates. In the first, states are characterized by their political stance toward ACA-funded Medicaid expansion. The second study focuses on the potential moderating effect of Medicaid managed care. Finally, the third study examines trends in Massachusetts hospital utilization before, during and after the state-sponsored reform compared to a carefully selected group of matched hospitals outside Massachusetts.