Comparing State Decisions on Medicaid Expansion and Their Impact on Low-Income Populations, Phase 2

This multiyear survey project is designed to assess the implications of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion, the Supreme Court decision making expansion optional for states, and alternative state approaches for covering residents who are potentially eligible for Medicaid under the law. In phase 1, the research team surveyed adults with low income in three states just prior to the beginning of the expansion: Kentucky, which expanded Medicaid consistent with the law; Arkansas, which adopted a different approach; and Texas, which has declined to expand. The team found that respondents in these three states are uninsured at high rates, have poor health, face barriers in obtaining care, and, overwhelmingly, favor expanding Medicaid. During phase 2, the researchers will survey residents one year later to assess trends in coverage and access to care in the three states.