Physical and/or Cognitive Impairment, Out-of-Pocket Spending, and Medicaid Entry among Older Adults.

TitlePhysical and/or Cognitive Impairment, Out-of-Pocket Spending, and Medicaid Entry among Older Adults.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2016
AuthorsWillink, A, Davis, K, Schoen, C, Wolff, JL
JournalJ Urban Health
Volume93
Issue5
Pagination840-850
Date Published2016 10
ISSN Number1468-2869
KeywordsAged, Cognitive Dysfunction, Delivery of Health Care, Disabled Persons, Eligibility Determination, Female, Financing, Personal, Humans, Insurance Coverage, Insurance, Health, Male, Medicaid, Middle Aged, United States
Abstract

While Medicare provides health insurance coverage for those over 65 years of age, many still are underinsured, experiencing substantial out-of-pocket costs for covered and non-covered services as a proportion of their income. Using the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), this study found that being underinsured is a significant predictor of entering into Medicaid coverage over a 16-year period. The rate of entering Medicaid was almost twice as high for those who were underinsured and with physical and/or cognitive impairment than those who were not, while supplemental health insurance reduced the rate of entering Medicaid by 30 %. Providing more comprehensive coverage through the traditional Medicare program, including a ceiling on out-of-pocket expenditures or targeted support for those with physical or cognitive impairment, could postpone becoming covered by Medicaid and yield savings in Medicaid.

URLhttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11524-016-0078-1
DOI10.1007/s11524-016-0078-1
User Guide Notes

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27653385?dopt=Abstract

Alternate JournalJ Urban Health
Citation Key8674
PubMed ID27653385
PubMed Central IDPMC5052151