The study was led by Virginia Commonwealth University researchers. Researchers conducted a survey between December 2018 and April 2019 of newly enrolled Virginia Medicaid members about their experiences in the year before enrollment. A follow-up was conducted between July 2020 and May 2021 on experiences one year after enrollment. Those surveyed were not previously eligible for Medicaid and did not have an insurance plan through the ACA marketplace.
Medicaid beneficiaries were 33.7 percent less likely to be concerned about normal healthcare costs and 23.8 percent less likely to be concerned about catastrophic healthcare costs one year after enrollment, according to the report.
The study found that enrollees were also less concerned about general expenses not related to healthcare, such as food, bills and loans.
The changes in financial need one year after enrollment were similar across demographic subgroups such as sex, race and ethnicity, according to the report.
“Medicaid is a critical antipoverty program, but it is important to understand if the positive outcomes of the program are extended to all different types of Medicaid members,” the study’s lead author Hannah Shadowen said in a July 21 university news release. “It’s very encouraging to see that low-income families from different backgrounds were all experiencing similar positive effects from Medicaid enrollment.”
