Medical Debt Accrual Down By 45% In States After Medicaid Expansion

In those states that implemented the expanded Medicaid eligibility rules outlined in the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (PPACA), the rate of new medical debt accrual in treated households fell by up to 45%. The average rate of this reduction ranged from 30% to 40%.

These findings were reported in "Medicaid and Financial Health," by Kenneth Brevoort of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Daniel Grodzicki of both Penn State and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and Martin B. Hackmann of both Penn State and The National Bureau of Economic Research. The researchers analyzed a "nationally representative" sample of 5 . . .