Abstract
Our study investigates the impact of Medicaid expansion during the pandemic, focusing on health insurance coverage and self-reported health among individuals with chronic health conditions. Utilizing 2 years of pre-pandemic and 2 years of during-pandemic data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), we apply a difference-in-difference (DID) model to evaluate these effects. We find an increase in insurance coverage and a decrease in poor physical health days among individuals with chronic conditions in states that expanded Medicaid compared to non-expansion states. However, the impact on mental health remains inconclusive. Furthermore, we observe no significant impact of Medicaid expansion on insurance coverage and self-reported health among individuals without chronic conditions. This study contributes to understanding Medicaid expansion's role in improving access to health care and health outcomes for vulnerable populations during a health crisis.
Recommended Citation
Dulal, Rajendra and Ghimire, Umesh
(2025)
"DID MEDICAID EXPANSION HELP MITIGATE SELF-REPORTED HEALTH ISSUES AMONG PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC?,"
Pennsylvania Economic Review: Vol. 32:
No.
1, Article 3.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.65193/3067-8080.1035