Medicaid patients are two times more likely to visit emergency departments compared to patients with commercial insurance, according to a study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.
Within the last year, 39.6 percent of Medicaid patients made a trip to the ED versus 17.7 percent of privately insured patients.
The study found 16.3 percent of Medicaid recipients encountered one or more barriers to primary care access, compared with 8.9 percent of privately insured patients. Barriers include not being able to reach a physician by phone, not being able to schedule a timely appointment and not having access to transportation.
Study author Adit Ginde, MD, said he is troubled by the study's results. "Our findings are particularly worrisome in light of the additional 16 million people who will be added to the Medicaid rolls over the next decade," said Dr. Ginde. "The shortage of primary care providers in the U.S. seems to affect Medicaid patients disproportionately and more harshly."
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Within the last year, 39.6 percent of Medicaid patients made a trip to the ED versus 17.7 percent of privately insured patients.
The study found 16.3 percent of Medicaid recipients encountered one or more barriers to primary care access, compared with 8.9 percent of privately insured patients. Barriers include not being able to reach a physician by phone, not being able to schedule a timely appointment and not having access to transportation.
Study author Adit Ginde, MD, said he is troubled by the study's results. "Our findings are particularly worrisome in light of the additional 16 million people who will be added to the Medicaid rolls over the next decade," said Dr. Ginde. "The shortage of primary care providers in the U.S. seems to affect Medicaid patients disproportionately and more harshly."
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