Effect of the Affordable Care Act on Health Care Access.

ISSUE: The Affordable Care Act's (ACA) coverage provisions have extended health insurance coverage to millions of Americans. While the effects of the Medicaid expansion and marketplace establishments on coverage have been well studied, the resulting effects of coverage on access to health care remain unclear. GOAL: To examine how the 2014 coverage expansions affected health care access following the first open enrollment period of October 2013 to March 2014. METHODS: Analysis of data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS: We find that gaining insurance coverage through the expansions decreased the probability of not receiving medical care by between 20.9 percent and 25 percent. Gaining insurance coverage also increased the probability of having a usual place of care by between 47.1 percent and 86.5 percent. These findings suggest that not only has the ACA decreased the number of uninsured Americans, but has substantially improved access to care for those who gained coverage.