Summary
Authors investigate health insurance generated improvements in cardiovascular risk factors (blood pressure and hemoglobin levels) for identifiable subpopulations and use machine learning to identify characteristics of people predicted to benefit highly.
The researchers studied Medicaid insurance coverage in 2008 for adults on low incomes (defined as lower than the federal-defined poverty line) in Oregon who were uninsured, including 12,134 participants from the Oregon Health Insurance Experiment with in-person data for health outcomes for both treatment and control groups.
Findings: Although Medicaid coverage did not improve cardiovascular risk factors on average, substantial heterogeneity was noted in the effects within that population. Individuals with high predicted benefits were more likely to have no or low prior health care charges. Findings suggest that Medicaid coverage leads to improved cardiovascular risk factors for some, particularly for blood pressure, although those benefits may be diluted by individuals who did not experience benefits.