Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/556451
A NEW STUDY PUBLISHED IN THE JULY ISSUE OF HEALTH AFFAIRS FOUND THAT POOR, UNINSURED PATIENTS WHO ENROLLED IN A MEDICAID-LIKE INSURANCE PLAN HAD BETTER CARE AND HEALTH OUTCOMES THAN THOSE WHO REMAINED UNINSURED. IN ADDITION, ACROSS ALL ENROLLEES, TOTAL COSTS OF CARE WERE 28.7 PERCENT LOWER THAN THE SPENDING CAP ALLOWED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. T HE STUDY EXAMINED the impact of MetroHealth Care Plus, which extended Medicaid coverage to 28,295 Cuyahoga County residents before the expansion of Medicaid took place in Ohio. The patients enrolled in the program were previously uninsured and were provided with primary care providers, including nurses to help coordinate their care as needed. The program launched in February 2013. Care Plus patients formally transitioned to Medicaid when Ohio's expansion began on Jan. 1, 2014. MetroHealth Care Plus patients were cared for by three Cuyahoga County health systems: The MetroHealth System, Neighborhood Family Practice and Care Alliance Health Center. All three systems are members of Better Health Partnership, a regional health improvement collabora- tive. The three organizations share the same electronic health record system and accepted financial risk if the total cost of care was higher than allowed by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The 28.7 percent savings by Care Plus totaled more than $41 million across the 28,295 patients. The study used Better Health's clinical data to look at differences in care between 2012 and 2013 among 3,437 Care Plus patients with high blood pressure or diabetes and 1,150 patients who had the same conditions but remained uninsured. Compared with continuously uninsured patients, more Care Plus patients with diabetes improved more on nationally endorsed quality of care standards, like receiving recommended eye exams on an annual basis. High blood pressure, a risk for diabetes complications, also was better controlled among Care Plus patients than those who remained uninsured in 2013. Over the study period, Care Plus patients with diabetes improved 13.2 percentage points more on quality of care standards than those who remained uninsured. On diabetes outcome measures, such as having blood pressure under control, Care Plus patients improved 8.2 points more than those who remained uninsured. â– New Study Shows Prepared Safety Net Improves Care, Saves Money in Medicaid Expansion Population CONNECT with your grateful patients like never before with Clinician-CONNECTâ„¢. Health Philanthropy Services Group can show you how. (877) 500-9659 info@health-philanthropy.com www.health-philanthropy.com