Study: Greater health disparities among low-income women likely in states that do not expand Medicai

A national report released last week concludes that states that have not expanded Medicaid eligibility under the ACA will soon see a gap in health care for women with lower incomes (Source: “Medicaid expansion is causing health care disparities among low-income women, report says,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, Jan. 23, 2014).

The report by the National Women’s Law Center found that low-income  women without insurance who live in one of the 25 states without expanded coverage are significantly less likely to get basic health care and preventive services.

“Low-income women without health insurance report going without needed care because of cost 2.5 times as often as low-income women with insurance," NWLC Vice President for Health and Reproductive Rights Judy Waxman said in a statement. "These disparities will continue in states that have not expanded health coverage through Medicaid."

The Supreme Court’s 2012 ruling on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act determined that the law's provision expanding Medicaid eligibility should be voluntary for states. To date, 25 states (including Ohio) have opted to expand eligibility up to 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Level for all residents.