Published in Health affairs (Project Hope)
Puerto Rico is a US territory and a popular destination for Latino immigrants in the Caribbean. Even with few language and cultural barriers, however, many Latino immigrants in Puerto Rico are uninsured. Using data from the 2014–19 Puerto Rico Community Survey, we examined inequities in health insurance coverage for non–Puerto Rican Latinos ages 18...
Published in Health affairs (Project Hope)
Since the 1960s the immigrant population in the United States has increased fourfold, reaching 44.7 million, or 13.7 percent of the US population, in 2018. The shifting immigrant demography presents several challenges for US health policy makers. We examine recent trends in immigrant health and health care after the Great Recession and the nationwi...
Published in Health affairs (Project Hope)
Marketplace enrollment rises as the Biden administration swiftly implements the American Rescue Plan Act.
Published in Health affairs (Project Hope)
Expansion of the Medicare Advantage program during 2009–18 saw greater enrollment among racial/ethnic minorities and other traditionally marginalized groups. Growth was more rapid among Black, Hispanic, and dually enrolled beneficiaries than among White and nondual beneficiaries. The implications of greater heterogeneity in the program for enrollee...
Published in Health affairs (Project Hope)
With 40 million people and substantial county and regional variation in socio-demographics and health services, California is an important setting to study disparities. Its population -- 39.1% Latino, 5.3% Black, and 14.4% Asian -- experienced 54,124 COVID-19 deaths through March 7, 2021, the highest nationally. We analyzed California’s racial/ethn...
Published in Health affairs (Project Hope)
Prior research and the popular press have anecdotally reported inadequate nursing home staffing levels during the COVID-19 pandemic. Maintaining adequate staffing levels is critical to ensuring high-quality nursing home care and an effective response to the pandemic. We therefore sought to examine nursing home staffing levels during the first nine ...
Published in Health affairs (Project Hope)
Hearing loss is associated with higher health care spending and use, but little is known about the unmet health care needs of people with hearing loss or difficulty. Analysis of 2016 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey data for beneficiaries ages sixty-five and older reveals that those who reported a lot of trouble hearing in the past year were 49 ...
Published in Health affairs (Project Hope)
The accessibility of pharmacies may be an overlooked contributor to persistent racial and ethnic disparities in the use of prescription medications and essential health care services within urban areas in the US. We examined the availability and geographic accessibility of pharmacies across neighborhoods based on their racial/ethnic composition in ...
Published in Health affairs (Project Hope)
Reducing postacute care in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) in favor of home-based care is a leading cost-saving strategy in new payment models. Yet the extent to which SNF stays can be safely shortened remains unclear. We leveraged the exposure of fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries without supplemental coverage to cost sharing after SNF benef...
Published in Health affairs (Project Hope)
Improved therapeutics and supportive care in hospitals have helped reduce mortality from COVID-19. However, there is limited evidence as to whether nursing home residents, who account for a disproportionate share of COVID-19 deaths and are often managed conservatively in the nursing home instead of being admitted to the hospital, have experienced s...
