What The Study Did: This observational study compared changes in opioid-related emergency department visits and hospitalizations before and after the 2014 Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansion in states that implemented expansions with states that didn't. Medicaid expansions improve access to outpatient treatment and have the potential to reduce opioid-related hospital use.
Authors: Aparna Soni, Ph.D., of American University in Washington, D.C., is the corresponding author.
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(doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.0473)
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