HealthDay News — There is substantial variation by state in decreasing uninsurance for Black, Hispanic, and low-revenue Americans below the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to a study published on the web July 21 in Health Equity.

Gregory Lines, M.D., from Cambridge Health Alliance in Massachusetts, and colleagues utilized information from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System from 2012 to 2016 (excluding 2014) to assess state-level variation in adjustments in uninsurance amongst Black, Hispanic, and low-revenue Americans following implementation of the ACA.

The researchers located that there was substantial variation in the variety of percentage point reduction in uninsurance across states: 19-fold for Black, 18-fold for Hispanic, and 23-fold for low-revenue adults. There was also substantial variation in state-level adjustments in uninsurance relative to baseline. More than 1-quarter of Black, half of Hispanic, and almost half of low-revenue adults remained uninsured following complete implementation of the ACA in some states. States in the highest quintile of alter in coverage seasoned higher improvements in capability to see a doctor versus states in the lowest quintile of alter in coverage.

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“The poor performance of many states under the ACA essentially locked in the high levels of uninsurance that those states entered the COVID-19 pandemic with,” a study author stated in a statement. “This has likely translated into greater difficulty accessing COVID-19 care and worse health outcomes for these populations at highest risk.”

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