Cost of Health Care, Dartmouth, Health Care Systems, Mental Health Research, Yale / 18.02.2014
Expanded Health Insurance: Hospital Services Use by Young Adults with Behavioral Diagnoses
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Ellen R. Meara
Associate Professor of The Dartmouth Institute
Adjunct Associate Professor in Economics & Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy, Dartmouth College
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of this study?
Answer: When insurance coverage for young adults rose by over 15 percentage points following Massachusetts' 2006 health reform, use of inpatient care for mental illness and substance use disorders fell and emergency department visits for these conditions grew more slowly for 19 to 25 year olds in Massachusetts relative to other states. Also, their care was much more likely to be paid for by private or public insurance insurers.
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