Medicaid-eligible people who are not enrolled more likely to delay care, face worse health outcomes

Adults who are eligible for Medicaid but not enrolled in the program are more likely to delay care due to costs, according to analysis released this week (Source: “Medicaid-eligible people who aren’t enrolled far more likely to delay care,” The Hill, Aug. 29).

The survey, published by the Urban Institute, found 21.4% of non-Medicaid enrolled individuals delay medical care due to the cost, compared to only 7.3% of enrollees and 9.5% of Medicaid-eligible individuals with private insurance.

Eligible but unenrolled adults were less likely than Medicaid enrollees to have visited a doctor in the last year, 23.4% compared to 65.4%. Unenrolled adults were also less likely to have a prescription filled, 27.8% to 67%, and less likely to have stayed in a hospital, 2.5% versus 12.6%. The analysis found uninsured Medicaid-eligible adults also spent more on out-of-pocket health expenses.

“Researchers conclude that being eligible for Medicaid does not equate to being covered by Medicaid or private insurance, as some have suggested,” a brief on the analysis stated. “People enrolled in health insurance face fewer obstacles and better outcomes.”