Surviving the Perfect Storm: Impacts of Benefit Reductions and Increased Cost Sharing in a Medicaid Program

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Will changes by state Medicaid programs result in harmful or beneficial consequences to enrollees? Jeanene Smith, M.D., and colleagues conducted a “natural experiment” testing the impact of cost-sharing measures and benefit reductions on Oregon Health Plan beneficiaries and found that changes in the benefit design resulted in decreased enrollment by the lowest income individuals and an abrupt and sustained increase in ED visits by the uninsured. Learn more in the HCFO Findings Brief.