Using survey data linked with Medicaid claims data, this study examines the consequences of unmet need for future health care use for a sample of disabled Medicaid beneficiaries in Westchester County, New York. Among other things, we find that individuals reporting unmet need in 1999 were more likely to use emergency room and hospital care in 2000 than those not reporting unmet need. Addressing the barriers to care that underlie unmet need could generate cost savings to Medicaid and provide better health outcomes for program beneficiaries.
PurposeWhile United States is among countries with the world’s highest coronavirus infections, its approaches and policies to reopen the economy vary by state. A lack of objective criteria and monitoring toward satisfying the criteria can lead to another COVID-19 outbreak and business closures. Considering the pressing need to return to normalcy without a rebound of COVID-19 infections and deaths, an index that provides a data-driven and objective insight is urgently needed. Hence, a method was devised to assess the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and determine the degree of progress any state has made in containing the spread of COVID-19.Design/methodology/approachUsing measures such as the weekly averages of daily new deaths, ICU bed occupancy rates, positive cases and test positivity rates, two indexes were developed: COVID-19 reopening readiness and severity.FindingsA clear difference in the pandemic severity trends can be observed between states, which is possibly due to the disparity in the state’s response to coronavirus. A sharp upward trend in index values requires caution prior to moving to the next phase of reopening.Originality/valueThe composite indexes advanced in this study will provide a universal, standardized and unbiased view of each state’s readiness to reopen and allow comparisons between states. This in turn can help governments and health-care agencies take counter measures if needed as to the anticipated demand for future health-care services and minimize adverse consequences of opening.
False-Positive Newborn Screening Result and Future Health Care Use in a State Medicaid Cohort