Study: Adults delaying care tied to Medicaid eligibility requirements

Areas of the country that have more restrictive Medicaid eligibility requirements also have higher rates of adults who have delayed necessary medical care because of cost, according to a new study released this week (Source: “Tight Medicaid Eligibility Leads To More Adults Delaying Care,” Kaiser Health News, March 27, 2013).

The authors of the study, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, examined county-level data of about 289,000 adults to determine the relationship between Medicaid eligibility and adults delaying care.  Rates for delayed care ranged from 6.5 percent in Norfolk, Mass. To 40.6 percent in Hildalgo, Texas.

“The increased odds of delayed care was 16% as high among persons with incomes between 67 and 127% of the federal poverty line and 42% as high among persons with incomes between 17 and 44% of the federal poverty line,” according to the study. “In addition, a higher concentration of primary care doctors was associated with a lower prevalence of delayed care.”