Providing Patients Access to Healthcare Lowers Costs Study Finds

[Omaha Steve]

A study led by researchers at the University of Wisconsin and published in Health Affairs, a policy journal, added more to the body of research that is proving the Affordable Care Act may lower costs for healthcare.

The study found an increase in visits to clinics and emergency departments but a 59% drop in hospitalizations and a 48% drop in preventable hospitalizations. Researchers looked at medical claims data for 9,619 people who were automatically enrolled in the BadgerCare Plus Core Plan in January 2009 and who previously had been enrolled in Milwaukee County's General Assistance Medical Program, or GAMP.

"Covering people costs money, but it makes an impact because there are significant and dramatic barriers to access for people who don't have health insurance," Benjamin Sommers, a physician and health economist at the Harvard School of Public Health said. "Study after study shows that. This study really points to the possibility that for a particular vulnerable subset -- a very sick, low-income population -- there is a possibility that you might be able to save some money. That's the really interesting piece that needs further study."

To read more on the study click here: http://www.jsonline.com/business/costs-of-expanding-health-coverage-reduced-by-fewer-hospital-stays-study-shows-b9925050z1-209974051.html