Changes in Emergency Department Use Among Young Adults After the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's Dependent Coverage Provision

Annals of Emergency Medicine
Yaa Akosa AntwiBenjamin D Sommers

Abstract

Since September 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has allowed young adults to remain as dependents on their parents' private health plans until age 26 years. This insurance expansion could improve the efficiency of medical care delivery by reducing unnecessary emergency department (ED) use. We evaluated the effect of this provision on ED use among young adults. We used a nationally representative ED visit database of more than 17 million visits from 2007 to 2011. Our analysis compared young adults aged 19 to 25 years (the age group targeted by the law) with slightly older adults aged 27 to 29 years (control group), before and after the implementation of the law. The quarterly ED-visit rate decreased by 1.6 per 1,000 population (95% confidence interval 1.2 to 2.1) among targeted young adults after the implementation of the provision, relative to a comparison group. The decrease was concentrated among women, weekday visits, nonurgent conditions, and conditions that can be treated in other settings. We found no effect among weekend visits or visits due to injuries or urgent conditions. The provision also changed the health insurance composition of ED visits; the fraction of privately insured young adults increas...Continue Reading

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Citations

Feb 7, 2016·The American Journal of Emergency Medicine·Soumitra S BhuyanCyril F Chang
Apr 23, 2016·American Journal of Preventive Medicine·Jacob Wallace, Benjamin D Sommers
May 4, 2016·Journal of the National Cancer Institute·Xuesong HanAhmedin Jemal
Oct 18, 2016·Diseases of the Colon and Rectum·Mariam F EskanderJennifer F Tseng
May 4, 2017·The New England Journal of Medicine·Benjamin D Sommers, Kosali Simon
Feb 22, 2017·Medical Care·Lindsay M SabikAli Bonakdar Tehrani
Jul 21, 2017·Health Services Research·Kenton J JohnstonStephen R Pitts
Jun 22, 2017·The Journal of Asthma : Official Journal of the Association for the Care of Asthma·Colleen Marie McGovernDavid R Stukus
Apr 27, 2017·Academic Medicine : Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges·Benjamin D Sommers
Jan 18, 2018·Health Economics·Jungtaek Lee
Apr 10, 2019·Journal of Oncology Practice·Benjamin B AlbrightAshley F Haggerty
Dec 1, 2016·Forum for Health Economics & Policy·Maria Serakos, Barbara Wolfe
Jan 4, 2020·Journal of General Internal Medicine·Edouard CoupetM Kit Delgado
Jun 14, 2020·BMC Health Services Research·Therese L CanaresAmanda Montalbano
May 26, 2017·The Cancer Journal·Xuesong Han, Ahmedin Jemal
Jun 22, 2017·The New England Journal of Medicine·Benjamin D SommersKatherine Baicker
Jul 6, 2020·Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities·Wassim TarrafHector M Gonzalez
Nov 16, 2018·Journal of General Internal Medicine·Lauren E Wisk, Niraj Sharma
Feb 28, 2019·Annals of the American Thoracic Society·Andrew J AdmonColin R Cooke
May 28, 2019·Medical Care Research and Review : MCRR·Rahul LadhaniaJesse M Pines
Jan 18, 2020·American Journal of Surgery·Tyler R McClintockQuoc-Dien Trinh
Mar 13, 2021·Health Economics·Michael R Richards, Sebastian Tello-Trillo
Apr 9, 2021·Obstetrics and Gynecology·Chelsea N FortinErica E Marsh

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