Summary

Description

The Effects of Medicaid Policy Changes on Adults Service Use Patterns in Kentucky and Idaho According to findings reported in The Effects of Medicaid Policy Changes on Adults Service Use Patterns in Kentucky and Idaho, published in Volume 2, Issue 4, of the Medicare and Medicaid Research Review, Idaho and Kentucky became two of the first states to implement benefit and cost sharing changes to their Medicaid programs under authority granted by the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act. While relatively few adults in Idaho received a wellness exam after such coverage was added, the adoption of managed care for dental services was associated with increased receipt of dental care, including preventive care. New limits on brand name prescriptions in Kentucky were associated with a reduction in the proportion of enrollees with two or more monthly name brand prescriptions, but small copayments introduced did not appear to have a dramatic impact. Thus, changes in financial incentives on both the supply side (such as reimbursement increases) and the demand side (i.e., benefit changes) alone may not be enough to generate the desired levels of preventive care, especially among those with chronic health conditions.