The Impacts of the Affordable Care Act on Preventive Services among Racial Groups
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Date
2017-08
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Obamacare, into law to reduce the cost of health insurance premiums. Part of the ACA provisions removed the cost-sharing requirements for a list of preventive services. Prior research has documented that more people are covered by health insurance after the implementation of the ACA. I sought to understand whether the ACA has affected racial disparities in utilizing preventive services. Data from the 2007 to 2014 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey was examined. The United States Preventive Services Task Force guidelines regarding recommended preventive services (e.g. blood pressure checks, routine checkups, flu shots, pap smears, mammogram, and colonoscopies) were examined. Use of preventive services from a non-elderly population (aged 18 to 64), segmented by race and ethnicity (non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks, Asians, Hispanics, and other races), was compared during the pre-ACA period (2007 – 2010) and post-ACA period (2011 – 2014). Racial disparities during the pre-ACA and post-ACA periods for each preventive service were examined. The results revealed that the size of the racial disparities varied across services. Despite the zero co-pay requirement for preventive services, the use of some services remained unchanged or even decreased. Racial disparities still exist in the post-ACA period. In order to promote the use of clinically recommended preventive services, the government should consider other methods to increase the awareness of the importance of preventive services.
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Keywords
Affordable Care Act, Preventive Services, Healthcare, Race/Ethnicity