State Medicaid Research Articles

Changes in institution for mental diseases (IMD) ownership status and insurance acceptance over time.

State Medicaid programs are prohibited from using federal dollars to pay institutions for mental diseases (IMDs)-freestanding psychiatric facilities with more than 16 beds. Increasingly, regulatory mechanisms have made payment of treatment in these settings substantially more feasible. This study evaluates if changing financial incentives are associated with increases in for-profit ownership among IMD facilities relative to non-IMD facilities, as well as greater increases in Medicaid acceptance among for-profit IMD facilities relative to for-profit non-IMD facilities. We used data from the 2014-2020 National Mental Health Services Surveys and examined 11 945 facility-years. Relative to non-IMDs, the increase in for-profit ownership among IMDs was 6.6 percentage points greater. The largest proportional change in Medicaid acceptance occurred among for-profit IMD facilities relative to for-profit non-IMDs (18.5 percentage points). Existing research is mixed on the quality of inpatient and residential psychiatric care provided in for-profit vs nonprofit and public facilities, as well as in IMD relative to non-IMD facilities. As payment policy increasingly incentivizes for-profit facilities to enter the psychiatric care space, we should be mindful of the impact of these decisions on patient safety.

Financing Policy Considerations From Texas to Optimize Care for Children With Medical Complexity.

Texas has a tremendous opportunity and momentum to build a more effective system of care for children with medical complexity (CMC) and their families. This is evidenced by growing collaboration among many committed partners since implementation of the Medicaid STAR Kids managed care program in 2016 and Texas' participation in a US Health Resources and Services Administration-funded, 10-state Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network to Advance Care for CMC from 2017 to 2022. Texas has several comprehensive health homes for CMC that position the state to serve as a national model of integrated, family-centered care for CMC and ensure high-quality care to an exceedingly vulnerable population. Further, Texas' elected leaders demonstrated their interest in system innovation in 2019 and 2021 by enacting state legislation to explore alternative care models and conduct a health home pilot for CMC. Much more must be done to sustain the work underway and bring the promise of care transformation to reality. To this point, we recommend that care planning and coordination be delegated to provider-led, integrated health homes for CMC with alternative payment structures that appropriately reimburse and align incentives with optimal care delivery. To realize the policy aspirations of an effective system of care for CMC, regulatory oversight, payment models, and outcome measures need to be improved to align with the vision articulated in Texas legislation and agency guidance. Although each state's Medicaid program is different, we believe each state can take away policy lessons from those learned by Texas.

Emergency Department and Dental Clinic Perceptions of Appropriate, and Preventable, Use of the ED for Non-Traumatic Dental Conditions in Hot-Spot Counties: A Mixed Methods Study.

Frequency of emergency department (ED) use for nontraumatic dental conditions (NTDC) is a well-researched community health concern. However, research predominately relies on ambulatory ED discharge records. This explanatory sequential mixed methods study reviewed NTDC ED use in hot-spot counties and assessed perceptions around preventable and appropriate use among EDs and dental clinics. Tooth pain data (2015-2021) were drawn from State Medicaid, and the Early Notification of Community-Based Epidemics (ESSENCE). NTDC data were compiled using International Classification of Disease, Ninth and Tenth Revisions. Employing extreme case sampling, providers in counties with the highest per-capita NTDC ED use were interviewed. North Dakota experienced a decline in NTDC ED visits between 2017 and 2020, though the rate is now increasing. The greatest proportion of NTDC ED visits were among persons ages 20 to 34 and 35 to 44. ED and dental care staff have misconceptions around each other's roles in reducing NTDC ED visits, but unanimously suggest community-level prevention as a solution. NTDC ED use was perceived as "appropriate" care. However, there is consensus that improved access to, and utilization of, affordable and quality preventative dental care would reduce NTDC ED visits and improve overall community health, especially among populations experiencing greater inequities.

The Association of Federal Medicaid Abortion Funding Restrictions With Adverse Obstetric Outcomes Among United States Medicaid Recipients

(Abstracted from Contraception 2023;126:110116) Obstetric care in the United States is predominantly paid for by Medicaid, which covers nearly half of all births. An essential component of comprehensive obstetric care is legal, safe abortion, and restricted access to such procedures is related to increased maternal mortality and morbidity.

A Comprehensive Analysis and Comparison of the U.S.’ and China’s Healthcare System

In an era of rapid globalization, understanding healthcare financing systems across diverse nations can offer crucial insights. This research project delves into the inner workings of the United States Medicaid and Medicare program and China's state-sponsored healthcare insurance schemes. Each represents a unique model of public health investment, shaped by distinct political philosophies and social contracts. The analysis reveals that the U.S. Medicaid program, despite its broad reach and comprehensive services, grapples with issues of equitable access and sustainable financing. In contrast, China's multi-tiered system offers a more standardized, although less comprehensive, form of coverage and faces challenges related to service quality and rural-urban disparities. Both nations, however, are in the continuous process of adapting their healthcare models to meet changing demographic and economic needs. By critically examining these two healthcare funding mechanisms, this study contributes to the ongoing dialogue on public health financing, offering recommendations for future policy interventions and reforms in both countries and potentially others.

Policies, Leadership, and Funding - Oh, My! How we are working together to improve perinatal care access & integration in Arizona, U.S.

The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate of any high resource country, and it is the only country outside of Afghanistan and Sudan where the rate is rising. The rate of pregnancy-related mortality in the US increased from 7.2 pregnancy-related deaths per 100,000 live births per year in 1987 to 17.2 in 2017. In Arizona, almost half of all pregnancy-associated deaths in 2016-2018 or three out of five deaths were related to mental health conditions or substance use disorder, and 98% of those deaths were deemed preventable with 48.5% of deaths having a good chance to prevent the death. Over 40% of these deaths were accidents or unintentional overdoses. Social determinants of health, system, and community factors have increasingly been acknowledged as contributing factors to the increasing rate of poor maternal health outcomes nationally, yet few states have been able to comprehensively address these issues due to fragmented health and public health systems of care, as well as severe workforce shortages. 
 The State of Arizona launched a series of initiatives beginning or enhanced in 2019 to improve maternal health outcomes for persons of reproductive age in the State, including a grant-funded initiative to strengthen Arizona’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee and to fund prevention efforts. In 2020, maternal mental health was spotlighted by stakeholders as a crisis related to the COVID-19 pandemic. A maternal mental health task force was appointed by the state legislature and funded through a federal grant to bring statewide stakeholders together to identify gaps in care for the perinatal population, improve statewide data on maternal mortality, and to form a statewide action plan to promote and execute innovation in maternal health service delivery including recommendations to the state government for providers and facilities, regulatory and state policy, payers, law enforcement, other systems, public health, and communities.
 While the effort to improve perinatal care statewide has legislative and grant-funded support, the input from individuals with lived experience, healthcare professionals specializing in serving this population, and our community health workers such as peer support professionals, patient advocates, and BIPOC advocacy organizations have been the key to our momentum and successes. Ultimately, a legion of volunteers (primarily mothers) across the state have co-designed improvements that truly meet the needs in close partnership with the state department of health and state medicaid agency. 
 
 Through community and provider participation, workforce development initiatives, compassionate and informed leadership, change management, and policy making, we have developed a comprehensive strategy to expand access to better care across the continuum of providers and facilities involved in perinatal care outcomes in our state. 
 What we’ve learned and achieved through our evolving statewide efforts will contribute to the efforts of others in communities globally who are working to reduce adverse maternal health outcomes. Lessons learned and best practices in capacity building and sustainability will be shared. 

Differences in Self-Reported and Billed Postpartum Visits Among Medicaid-Insured Individuals

State Medicaid programs have recently implemented several policies to improve access to health care during the postpartum period. Understanding whether these policies are succeeding will require accurate measurement of postpartum visit use over time and across states; however, current estimates of use vary substantially between data sources. To examine disagreement between postpartum visit use reported in the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) and Medicaid claims and assess whether insurance transitions from Medicaid at the time of childbirth to other insurance types after delivery are associated with the degree of disagreement. This cross-sectional study was conducted among individuals in South Carolina after delivery who had completed a PRAMS survey and for whom Medicaid was the payer of their delivery care. PRAMS responses from 2017 to 2020 were linked to inpatient, outpatient, and physician Medicaid claims; survey-weighted logistic regression models were then used to examine the association between postpartum insurance transitions and data source disagreement. Data were analyzed from February through October 2023. Insurance transition type: continuous Medicaid, Medicaid to private insurance, Medicaid to no insurance, and Emergency Medicaid to no insurance. Data source disagreement due to reporting a postpartum visit in PRAMS without a Medicaid claim for a visit or having a Medicaid claim for a visit without reporting a postpartum visit in PRAMS. Among 836 PRAMS respondents enrolled in Medicaid at delivery (663 aged 20-34 years [82.9%]), a mean of 85.7% (95% CI, 82.1%-88.7%) reported a postpartum visit in PRAMS and a mean of 61.6% (95% CI, 56.9%-66.0%) had a Medicaid claim for a postpartum visit. Overall, 253 respondents (30.3%; 95% CI, 26.1%-34.7%) had data source disagreement: 230 individuals (27.2%; 95% CI, 23.2%-31.5%) had a visit in PRAMS without a Medicaid claim, and 23 individuals (3.1%; 95% CI, 1.8%-5.2%) had a Medicaid claim without a visit in PRAMS. Compared with individuals continuously enrolled in Medicaid, those who transitioned to private insurance after delivery and those who were uninsured after delivery and had Emergency Medicaid at delivery had an increase in the probability of data source agreement of 15.8 percentage points (95% CI, 2.6-29.1 percentage points) and 37.2 percentage points (95% CI, 19.6-54.8 percentage points), respectively. This study's findings suggest that Medicaid claims may undercount postpartum visits among people who lose Medicaid or switch to private insurance after childbirth. Accounting for these insurance transitions may be associated with better claims-based estimates of postpartum care.

CONTEXTUAL FACTORS IN AGING AND LONG-TERM SERVICES AND SUPPORTS RESEARCH

Abstract In the coming years, there will be more older Americans living in the community with extensive medical and long-term care needs increasing the need for long-term services and supports (LTSS) that assist with routine daily activities (e.g., bathing, dressing, medication management). Increasingly research studies are examining factors associated with receipt of LTSS including care preference, family availability and financial resources. Yet LTSS care experiences are likely a result of factors that extend beyond personal preference or individual factors, such as neighborhood quality. availability of home care workers, and state policy characteristics (e.g., state Medicaid generosity). Little research to date has examined how the LTSS environmental context affects the health and well-being of older adults with disabilities and their caregivers. In order to improve LTSS research we need to expand analyses to consider relevant contextual factors. This symposium will feature five presentations that provide novel insight regarding social and physical contextual factors contributing to LTSS using multiple data sources. We will describe (1) a conceptual framework of LTSS-relevant environmental domains and associations between select LTSS-relevant characteristics and older adult care experiences, (2) the relationship between neighborhood deprivation and place of death, (3) care experiences of older Medicare-Medicaid enrollees living in counties with Medicaid Managed Long-Term Services and Supports, (4) trends in paid home care employment and state public financing, and (5) associations between adverse consequences due to unmet, LTSS use, and social isolation.

USING NATIONAL CORE INDICATORS—AGING AND DISABILITIES—FOR QUALITY, POLICY, AND SYSTEM TRANSFORMATION

Abstract National Core Indicators Aging and Disabilities (NCI-AD™), uses survey data to support State Medicaid, aging, and disability agencies to conduct surveys with individuals receiving publicly-funded long-term services and supports and measure and track their own outcomes and performance using reliable data collection methods and tools. Established in 2015, NCI-AD is now in use by 22 states nationwide. The NCI-AD portfolio includes the flagship survey – the Adult Consumer Survey (ACS) and the State of the Workforce—Aging and Disabilities (SotW-AD) survey. The ACS collects data directly from older adults and people with physical disabilities to assess the outcomes of services provided to individuals. Indicators address key areas of concern including service planning, rights, community inclusion, choice, health and care coordination, safety and relationships. In 2022, NCI-AD piloted the SotW-AD survey with five participating states. A first of its kind for the aging and disabilities field, this new effort collects and aggregates statewide information about wages, benefits, and turnover of the direct service workforce—as reported by the agencies that employ them. The SotW-AD will launch to all AD states in summer 2023. This session will provide an overview of the NCI-AD program, the type of data collected from each survey, and how state-level and research partners have utilized the data sets.

STATE GENEROSITY IN HOME- AND COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICES (HCBS): VARIATIONS AND IMPACT ON DEMENTIA OUTCOMES

Abstract To meet the needs of community-living older adults and reduce overall medical spending, home- and community-based services (HCBS) provide assistance and care for persons with significant physical and cognitive limitations. Together, Medicaid long-term services and supports (LTSS) coverage and the Title III program under the Older Americans Act (OAA) of 1965 support the majority of the HCBS for older adults living in the U.S. with low-income and/or disabilities. We evaluated state variations in generosity of supporting HCBS in recent years and how these variations affect the healthcare outcomes of community-living older adults and socio-economic and racial disparities in dementia outcomes. State HCBS generosity from the perspectives of program participation and intensity of services was defined by the exploratory and the confirmatory factor analysis with data from multiple sources, including state reports from the National Association of State Budget Officers. State data was linked to a nationally representative sample of older adults who enrolled in the Health and Retirement Study in 2020. Analyses revealed that overall state supports for HCBS increased over time in recent years while state Medicaid expenditures for institutional long-term care remained largely stable. State supports through both Medicaid and the OAA programs for HCBS varied substantially and persisted in recent years. Discussion will focus on instrumental variable analyses that determine the causal impact of state variations in HCBS generosity on health outcomes (i.e., unmet need; hospitalization) for persons living with dementia persons.

STATE-LEVEL DESCRIPTION OF MEDICAID POLICY AND ACCESS TO LICENSED ASSISTED LIVING CARE FOR LOW-INCOME ADULTS

Abstract A growing proportion of Medicaid funds are allocated to care in assisted living (AL) settings. However, a state must have a state plan amendment or waiver to utilize these funds. States issue levels of licensure for AL communities, which govern the care and oversight that can be provided and may determine whether ALs can accept Medicaid funding. However, until now, Medicaid coverage for AL has been analyzed at the state level and is not well-documented for license types. Using Medicaid state plans and waiver applications, we describe the types of Medicaid funding mechanisms that states use to finance care in AL and identify the demographics and health characteristics of residents in Medicaid-eligible ALs. We find that five states do not utilize Medicaid to finance care in AL. Among the 45 states and DC with Medicaid-financed AL, 12 states limit Medicaid funding to specific licenses, whereas 34 states provide access to Medicaid-funded care for all AL license types. Among identified ALs, 86% are licensed to accept Medicaid funds. Although the modal funding mechanism is through 1915c waivers, the largest percentage (40%) of ALs licensed to accept Medicaid funding are in states that utilize multiple mechanisms. In states that fund AL through state plan amendments, 88% of Medicare beneficiaries reside in covered ALs; conversely, in states that use 1115 demonstration waivers, 99% of Medicare beneficiaries reside in covered ALs. This work will benefit future research and policymaking aiming to use Medicaid funding to increase access to appropriate, high-quality care in licensed ALs.

Medicaid Reimbursement for Doula Care: Policy Considerations From a Scoping Review.

Evidence suggests that perinatal doula care can support maternal health and reduce racial inequities among low-income pregnant and postpartum people, prompting growing interest by state Medicaid agencies to reimburse for doula services. Emerging peer-reviewed and gray literature document factors facilitating or impeding that reimbursement. We conducted a scoping review of that literature (2012-2022) to distill key policy considerations for policymakers and advocates in the inclusion of doula care as a Medicaid-covered benefit. Fifty-three reports met the inclusion criteria. Most (53%) were published in 2021 or 2022. Their stated objectives were advocating for expanded access to doula care (17%), describing barriers to policy implementation, and/or offering recommendations to overcome the barriers (17%). A primary policy consideration among states was prioritizing partnership with doulas and doula advocates to inform robust and equitable policymaking to sustain the doula profession.

Developing a Sustainable Care Delivery Payment Model for Children With Medical Complexity.

Children with medical complexity (CMC) are a small but growing population representing <1% of all children while accounting for >30% of childhood health care expenditure. Complex care is a relatively new discipline that has emerged with goals of improving CMC care, optimizing CMC family function, and reducing health care costs. The provision of care coordination services is a major function of most complex care programs. Unfortunately, most complex care programs struggle to achieve financial sustainability in a predominately fee-for-service environment. The article describes how 2 programs in Wisconsin worked with their state Medicaid payer through a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Health Care Innovation Award to develop a sustainable complex care payment model, and the value the payment model is currently bringing to stakeholders. Key elements of the process included: Developing a relationship between payer and clinicians that allowed for an understanding of each's viewpoint, use of an accepted clinical service model, and an effort to measure cost of care for the service provided supported by time-study methodology.

Profile of Older Dual-Enrollees Living in Areas with Managed Long-Term Services and Supports

ObjectivesNearly half of all state Medicaid agencies in the United States have implemented managed long-term services and supports (MLTSS). Data gaps have inhibited our understanding of MLTSS experiences to date. We draw on a national survey with novel data linkages to develop a profile of older dual-enrollees with significant LTSS needs by MLTSS program presence. DesignCross-sectional observational study using the 2015 round of the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), a longitudinal study of a nationally representative sample of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years and older. Setting and ParticipantsThe sample comprised 275 participants who self-reported Medicaid enrollment and met our definition of significant LTSS need as defined by receiving help with 2 or more self-care or mobility activities (eating, bathing, toileting, dressing, bed transfer, indoor mobility). MethodsBivariate analyses were used to comparatively examine differences in demographic, health, and care circumstances by MLTSS, as defined by living in a county with MLTSS program presence. ResultsAmong approximately 1 million (weighted sample) older dual-enrollees with significant LTSS needs, 56.2% (weighted percentage) lived in counties with MLTSS and 43.7% lived in counties with mandatory MLTSS enrollment in 2015. Those living in areas with MLTSS were much more likely to be of Hispanic or other race and ethnicity (50.5% vs 15.1%, P < .001) yet less likely to live in a rural location (8.7% vs 31.4%, P < .05) or in a residential care facility or nursing home (18.4% vs 34.7%, P < .05). The majority (78.5%) received assistance from 2 or more helpers and received more than 70 hours of care per week. Conclusions and ImplicationsOur findings reinforce the growing reach of MLTSS programs and importance of filling evidence gaps about who these programs are serving.

Prevalence and Correlates of Unmet Medical and Social Needs in Virginia's Medicaid Managed Long Term Services and Supports Program.

Medicaid Long Term Services and Support (LTSS) programs serve individuals with complex medical and social needs. Increasingly, state Medicaid programs are contracting with managed care organizations to administer LTSS programs. Understand the prevalence of and risk factors for unmet medical and social needs among a sample of patients within a Medicaid managed LTSS program. We surveyed a cross-sectional random sample of 798 community-residing individuals over 21 in Virginia who were served by the state Medicaid managed LTSS program. Outcomes of interest include 3 distinct medical needs: medical appointments, medical transportation, and prescriptions; 4 distinct social needs: housing security, food security, utility bills, and nonmedical transportation, and composite measures of unmet social and medical needs. We found that 12.5% of our sample had any unmet medical need, while far more (62.2%) of our sample had any unmet social needs, with food insecurity being the most common. We found that members of color had almost 2 times the odds of having both unmet social and medical needs [social: adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 2.21; 95% confidence Interval (CI): (1.59, 3.09); medical aOR: 2.25 ; 95% CI: (1.34, 3.8)]. Medicaid members may not be fully realizing the potential of LTSS programs and would benefit from both Medicaid agency and managed care organizations' strategies aimed at addressing social drivers of health. To achieve health equity for LTSS members of color, Medicaid agencies may consider policies specifically targeting racial disparities.

Recent Patterns of Care with BTK Inhibitors and Distribution of Social Determinants of Health Among Patients with CLL/SLL in the US Community Setting

BACKGROUND: The treatment landscape for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) has shifted with the introduction of second-generation Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors. Few real-world studies, however, have examined sequencing patterns among BTK inhibitors for CLL/SLL and the patient characteristics across different sequences, including social determinants of health (SDOH). The aim of this study is to examine the characteristics, treatment patterns, and SDOH among patients with CLL/SLL who received BTK inhibitors in a large network of community oncology practices. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of adult patients diagnosed with CLL/SLL who were prescribed a BTK inhibitor between 1/1/2020-4/30/2023 in The US Oncology Network. Study data were captured from structured fields in the iKnowMed electronic health record (EHR), with linkage to external sources to evaluate patients' Area Deprivation Index (ADI) scores and rural/urban status. ADI scores were determined by mapping patients' home addresses to a census block group (CBG), which was then linked to the ADI. ADI rankings are based on CBG and determined by the domains of income, education, employment, and housing quality, where high scores indicate increased disadvantage. Low socioeconomic status (SES) was defined as the top 20% of ADI scores on a national and state level (cut-off based on literature review). Rural/urban status was based on the RUCA codes published by the US Department of Agriculture. Insurance coverage was reported “as is” in the claims system with Medicaid an indicator of low SES. Results were assessed by treatment sequence, and SDOH measures results were reported as counts, frequency, and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Chi Square p-values were reported for selected SDOH measures and are shown in text. Data are presented for treatment subgroups with at least 30 eligible patients. RESULTS: In total, 2,082 patients were included in the analysis (median age 73 years; 61.9% male; 73.5% white; 35.0% Rai stage 0-I; median follow-up 14.1 months). The highest proportion of patients received acalabrutinib or ibrutinib without an observed subsequent BTK inhibitor (n=1,159 and n=628, respectively). Patient characteristics by the top 6 treatment sequences are provided in Table 1. Demographic and clinical characteristics across the treatment sequences were similar, including sex, race, and ethnicity distributions, along with Rai stage and ECOG performance status at baseline. Across the subgroups, 8.7% (n=182) were observed to receive a subsequent BTK inhibitor. Among patients who received a BTK inhibitor in 2020 (n=597), 62.3% (n=372) received ibrutinib and a single patient received zanubrutinib. Among the 206 patients who received a BTK inhibitor in 2023, 6.8% (n=14) and 28.6% (n=59) received ibrutinib and zanubrutinib, respectively. In total, 137 patients (6.6%; 95% CI 5.6-7.7) were classified as living in rural locations. Low SES status based on state and national indicators was observed among 361 (17.3%; 95% CI 15.7-19.0) and 125 (6.0%; 95% CI 5.0-7.1) patients, respectively, and was also similar across the subgroups. The highest proportion of patients had Medicare insurance coverage (42.1%; n=877; 95% CI 40-44.3), followed by managed Medicare (24.4%; n=508; 95% CI 22.6-26.3). A statistical difference was found between the treatment regimens for rural/urban ( P&amp;lt;0.01), but not for state ADI ( P=0.52), national ADI ( P=0.36), or Medicaid insurance coverage vs. all others ( P=0.18). The actual values for each regimen are in the Table 1. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study provide insight into the shifting treatment landscape of BTK inhibitor use among patients with CLL/SLL. During the observation period, the use of ibrutinib decreased while acalabrutinib and zanubrutinib increased. When evaluating measures of SDOH, similarities across the treatment sequence subgroups suggest that patients' SES and Medicaid do not influence prescribing patterns, but rural/urban status show differences. Further real-world research and longitudinal follow-up are needed to examine the impact of SDOH on treatment choice, treatment switching, reasons for switching, and outcomes among users of BTK inhibitors. Additionally, a better understanding of the specific treatment regimen(s) and reasons driving rural/urban differences is needed.

Risks of opioid overdose among New York State Medicaid recipients with chronic pain before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

ObjectiveThe COVID-19 pandemic contributed to healthcare disruptions for patients with chronic pain. Following initial disruptions, national policies were enacted to expand access to long-term opioid therapy (LTOT) for chronic pain and opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment services, which may have modified risk of opioid overdose. We examined associations between LTOT and/or OUD with fatal and non-fatal opioid overdoses, and whether the pandemic moderated overdose risk in these groups. MethodsWe analyzed New York State Medicaid claims data (3/1/2019–12/31/20) of patients with chronic pain (N = 236,391). We used generalized estimating equations models to assess associations between LTOT and/or OUD (neither LTOT or OUD [ref], LTOT only, OUD only, and LTOT and OUD) and the pandemic (03/2020–12/2020) with opioid overdose. ResultsThe pandemic did not significantly (ns) affect opioid overdose among patients with LTOT and/or OUD. While patients with LTOT (vs. no LTOT) had a slight increase in opioid overdose during the pandemic (pre-pandemic: aOR:1.65, 95% CI:1.05, 2.57; pandemic: aOR:2.43, CI:1.75,3.37, ns), patients with OUD had a slightly attenuated odds of overdose during the pandemic (pre-pandemic: aOR:5.65, CI:4.73, 6.75; pandemic: aOR:5.16, CI:4.33, 6.14, ns). Patients with both LTOT and OUD also experienced a slightly reduced odds of opioid overdose during the pandemic (pre-pandemic: aOR:5.82, CI:3.58, 9.44; pandemic: aOR:3.70, CI:2.11, 6.50, ns). ConclusionsFindings demonstrated no significant effect of the pandemic on opioid overdose among people with chronic pain and LTOT and/or OUD, suggesting pandemic policies expanding access to chronic pain and OUD treatment services may have mitigated the risk of opioid overdose.

Changes in buprenorphine waivered provider supply after Virginia Medicaid implements the addiction and recovery treatment services program and Medicaid expansion

BackgroundShortages of providers authorized to prescribe buprenorphine may limit access to buprenorphine, which studies have shown to be effective in the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD). ObjectiveTo examine whether two state Medicaid policies in Virginia—the Addiction and Recovery Treatment Services (ARTS) program in 2017, and Medicaid expansion in 2019—increased the number of buprenorphine waivered providers (BWP) in Virginia, compared to other southern states in the United States that did not expand Medicaid. MethodsThe study population includes providers authorized to prescribe buprenorphine. We compute the number of BWP per 100,000 people for the study states, overall and for different waiver limits (30, 100 or 275). Using difference-in-difference regression models, we examine changes in BWP rates for Virginia relative to nonexpansion states in the US South between 2015 and 2020. ResultsThe rate of increase in BWP was higher in Virginia after implementation of ARTS and Medicaid expansion (148 %), compared to southern nonexpansion states over the same time period (115 %). Relative to nonexpansion states in the South, BWP with patient limits of 100 or 275 increased by 7 % in Virginia after ARTS implementation in 2017, and by an additional 22 % after Medicaid expansion in 2019 (p < 0.05 each). ConclusionsThe findings suggest that public policies that expand access to OUD treatment services—including buprenorphine treatment—may also increase the supply of providers authorized to prescribe buprenorphine, helping to alleviate shortages of BWP providers and further increasing access to care.

Mystery Shopper Study of State Medicaid Coverage for Out-of-State Abortion Care

This cross-sectional study uses a mystery shopper survey to examine variation in state Medicaid agency responses to coverage questions on out-of-state abortion care.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and Pediatric Medical Clinicians’ Application of Fluoride Varnish

Fluoride varnish reduces children's tooth decay, yet few clinicians provide it. Most state Medicaid programs have covered this service during medical visits for children aged 1 to 5 years, but private insurers began covering it only in 2015 due to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandate that they cover a set of recommended preventive services without cost-sharing. Evidence on clinicians' behavior change postmandate is limited. To examine monthly changes in fluoride varnish applications among pediatric clinicians following the ACA mandate. Using all-payer claims data from Massachusetts, this cohort study applied an interrupted time-series approach with linear regression models comparing changes in monthly clinician-level outcomes before and after the mandate. Participants included clinicians who billed at least 5 well-child visits for patients aged 1 to 5 years and were observed at least once premandate. Adjusted for clinician fixed effects, models were assessed overall and separately for clinicians categorized by their monthly share of well-child visits paid by private insurers before the mandate: mostly private (>66% of visits paid by private insurers), mostly public (<33% of visits paid by private insurers), or mixed (33%-66% of visits paid by private insurers) insurance types. Analysis was performed from June 1, 2022, to July 31, 2023. Preenactment and postenactment of the ACA mandate for private insurers to cover fluoride varnish applications without cost-sharing. Clinician-month measures of whether fluoride varnish was provided during at least 1 well-child visit and the share of such visits, analyzed separately for clinicians who did and did not apply fluoride varnish premandate. The sample included 2405 clinicians, with 107 841 clinician-months. Premandate, 10.48% of the visits included fluoride varnish applications. Two years postmandate, the likelihood of ever applying fluoride varnish was 13.64 (95% CI, 10.97-16.32) percentage points higher. For clinicians providing fluoride varnish premandate, the share of visits with fluoride varnish increased by 9.22 (95% CI, 5.41-13.02) percentage points. This increase was observed in clinicians who treated children with insurance that was mostly mixed and mostly private; no substantial change was observed among those treating children with mostly public insurance. In this cohort study of pediatric primary care clinicians, an association between the ACA mandate and an increase in fluoride varnish application was observed, especially among clinicians primarily treating privately insured patients and those applying it premandate. However, application remains infrequent, suggesting persistent barriers.