| Abstract |
Medicaid was expanded in a number of states under the Affordable Care Act. This expansion changed eligibility requirements to allow for those whose income is at or below 138% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), including childless adults, to gain coverage. Prior to expansion, eligibility was more stringent, affecting many individuals experiencing homelessness. Homelessness is a major risk factor contributing to poor health outcomes. Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) provide primary care services for underserved populations such as those in poverty and uninsured, regardless of ability to pay. Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) Projects assist those experiencing homelessness specifically. This project is an analysis of how Medicaid expansion has impacted the homeless population by exploring the impact Medicaid expansion had on FQHCs and HCH projects. We used data from the Uniform Data System (UDS) and HCH specific data to describe differences between Medicaid expansion and non-expansion states in terms of patient characteristics, insurance coverage, services provided, clinical data, and cost across the years 2012 through 2018 to determine the impact Medicaid expansion has had on serving the homeless population. This is a preliminary study reporting trends found in these categories.
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| Modified Abstract |
Medicaid expansion changed eligibility requirements to allow for those whose income is at or below 138% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) to gain coverage. This affected many individuals experiencing homelessness. This project is an analysis of how Medicaid expansion has impacted the homeless population by exploring the impact it had on Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) Projects. We used data from the Uniform Data System (UDS) and HCH specific data to describe differences and trends between Medicaid expansion and non-expansion states to determine the impact Medicaid expansion has had on serving the homeless population.
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