HCFO Releases a New Findings Brief

When a massive budget shortfall in 2003 forced Oregon to make significant changes in the Oregon Health Plan, Jeanene Smith, M.D., Bruce Goldberg, M.D., and colleagues conducted a “natural experiment” testing the impact of cost-sharing measures and benefit reductions on the program’s Medicaid beneficiaries. The researchers examined the impact on enrollment, treatment patterns, and expenditures, as well as changes in emergency department (ED) use. The project was designed to “inform state decision makers who continue to seek efficient cost-saving strategies and consider competing approaches for maintaining and rebuilding benefits following reductions in Medicaid and reshaping publicly financed health care.” For more…

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