Expanded health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is having a major impact on hospital payer mix across the country. Similar to other reports recently released, new data examining hospital discharges in 16 states with data through the second quarter in 2014 show increases in Medicaid and declines in uninsured or self-pay discharges in states that implemented the Medicaid expansion. These trends hold true for all hospital discharges as well as for specific services such as mental health or asthma. This information adds to a growing body of evidence indicating that coverage expansions are affecting providers and may lead to decreases in uncompensated care for the uninsured. These 16 states include 6 states that have not implemented (Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, Virginia, and Wisconsin) and 10 states that had implemented the Medicaid expansion (Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York) by the second quarter in 2014.
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