Recently, a study reported that people in Oregon who became covered under the state’s Medicaid program were using the Emergency Department more than people who were eligible for Medicaid but not enrolled in the program. This story got lots of media attention, with conservatives arguing that it’s more evidence that the Affordable Care Act is unsustainable. But, as with any research, one study does not prove anything. I conducted an analysis of recent reports on ED use and have written about it in my regular post on JAMA’s News Forum. You can read it here: http://jama.md/1ewC7UE
JAMA doesn’t permit readers to post comments, but I’d welcome your thought on HealthCetera’s site. You can post comments in response to this blog post.
Diana J. Mason, PhD, RN, FAAN, Rudin Professor of Nursing
