There’s yet more evidence that a state’s decision to expand Medicaid as permitted under Obamacare will lead to a healthier population in that state.
Quest Diagnostics recently looked into the number of newly reported diabetes cases in states that have expanded Medicaid and those that have not. The research revealed that Medicaid expansion states are experiencing a flood of new diabetes diagnoses, while those that have not agreed to expand the coverage aren’t reporting increases.
The findings were dramatic: The number of newly diagnosed patients in the Medicaid expansion states surged by 23 percent, compared to less than 1 percent in the non-expansion states. A total of nearly 30,000 Americans were diagnosed with diabetes during the study period (first six months of 2013 compared to 2014).
Quest’s conclusion, as reported in the American Diabetes Association’s official publication Diabetes Journal, was rather dry: “This study suggests that in the states that expanded Medicaid under the ACA, an increased number of Medicaid patients with diabetes are being diagnosed and treated earlier. This could be anticipated to lead to better long-term outcomes.”
But others, like the New York Times, reacted much more strongly.
“The number of new diabetes cases identified among poor Americans has surged in states that have embraced the Affordable Care Act, but not in those that have not, a new study has found, suggesting that the health care law may be helping thousands of people get earlier treatment for one of this country’s costliest medical conditions,” the Times reported March 23.
“This [study] suggests that states that are accepting this kind of coverage are doing their populations a huge favor,” Dr. David M. Nathan, director of the Diabetes Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, told the Times.
US News & World Report echoed the sentiment. “The new study shows the direct impact Obamacare can have on people’s health,” US News said.
Dr. Robert Ratner, chief scientific and medical officer for the American Diabetes Association, told the publication: “[The study] allowed for a very interesting natural experiment to see what coverage and access would do to the diagnosis of diabetes.”
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
