BACKGROUND Many veterans engaged in care with the Veterans Administration (VA) health system are also enrolled in Medicare and/or Medicaid and may receive care both inside and outside of the VA. Use of dual health systems has been associated with worse outcomes. Veterans with HIV may have different rates of Medicare and Medicaid enrollment and may be at greater risk of poor outcomes related to ...

The Alzheimer’s Association report, The Impact of Alzheimer’s on Medicaid Costs: A Growing Burden for States, presents information on the costs of Alzheimer’s and other dementias to the Medicaid budgets of each state and the District of Columbia. This Appendix describes the model and calculations used in developing state Medicaid spending estimates for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and o...

BACKGROUND In recent decades the overall smoking prevalence in the US has fallen steadily. This study examines whether the same trend is seen in the Medicaid population. METHODS AND FINDINGS National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data from 17 consecutive annual surveys from 1997 to 2013 (combined N = 514,043) were used to compare smoking trends for 4 insurance groups: Medicaid, the Uninsured...

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To explore exercise programming and counseling preferences and exercise-related beliefs in breast cancer survivors during and after radiation therapy, and to compare differences based on treatment and insurance status. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey. SETTING Ambulatory cancer center in a rural community in eastern North Carolina. SAMPLE 91 breast cancer survivors during ...

Medicaid enrollees have a higher smoking prevalence than the general population (30.1% of adult Medicaid enrollees aged <65 years smoke, compared with 18.1% of U.S. adults of all ages), and smoking-related disease is a major contributor to increasing Medicaid costs. Evidence-based cessation treatments exist, including individual, group, and telephone counseling and seven Food and Drug Administr...

BACKGROUND Whereas insurance status has been previously associated with care patterns, little is currently known about the association between Medicaid insurance and the clinical characteristics, treatment, or outcomes of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). METHODS AND RESULTS We used data from adults with AF enrolled in the Outcomes Registry for Better Informed Treatment of AF (ORBIT-AF)...

OBJECTIVES Lack of access to medical information for nursing home residents during emergency department (ED) evaluation is a barrier to quality care. We hypothesized that the quantity of information available in the ED differs based on the funding source of the resident's nursing home. DESIGN Cross-sectional observational study. SETTING Single academic ED. PARTICIPANTS Participants were 1...

OBJECTIVES To determine whether breast-feeding of infants enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is associated with a reduction in Medicaid expenditures during the first 6 months of life; if so, to determine whether the reduction in Medicaid expenditures represents a positive economic benefit to society when WIC costs for these infants and ...

Over the past two years, states across the country have been struggling to cope with rising Medicaid expenditures and, in some cases, significant budget shortfalls. They have sought to cut Medicaid spending by limiting benefits, increasing costsharing, and slowing provider payment increases. A number of states have also tightened Medicaid eligibility standards or have delayed planned eligibilit...

The wide range of data bases that can be used for Medicaid analyses and research are reviewed in this article. The Health Care Financing Administration, State Medicaid agencies, and other groups have developed useful data bases and made them available to the public. Efforts could be made to obtain better quality national data, including annual reports on State participation, expenditures and pr...