Low Income Men, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act: Policy Implications

• Activity Number: 548
• Type: Topic Contributed
• Date/Time: Wednesday, August 6, 2014 : 2:00 PM to 3:50 PM
• Sponsor: Health Policy Statistics Section
• Author(s): Steven R. Machlin*+ and Joel W. Cohen and Amy Taylor and Fred Rohde
• Companies: AHRQ and AHRQ and AHRQ and AHRQ
• Keywords: ACA ; Medicaid ; health care use ; MEPS

Abstract

Medicaid is a program for low income adults and children in the United States. Much has been written about women and children enrollees, who account for 70% of all Medicaid enrollees. This study focuses on the other 30%, low-income men. Using pooled 2005-2010 data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), we examine the characteristics of the adults who were enrolled versus those not enrolled in Medicaid as well as those estimated by micro-simulation to be eligible under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansion. Medicaid enrolled men were more likely to be younger (age 18-44) and sicker (fair-poor health) and less likely to be married than men not enrolled in Medicaid. They were also more likely to be married and to receive disability income, and less likely to live in a household with children than women enrolled in Medicaid. The patterns of medical service use were different between these groups as well. The potential impact of the ACA Medicaid expansion on coverage of men in the Medicaid program is assessed using multivariate analytic techniques.