Study Shows Major Effect in State From ACA

The first year that the federal Affordable Healthcare Act was in effect resulted in a “dramatic change in Michigan’s health care landscape,” a study from the Center for Healthcare Research and Transformation at the University of Michigan.

Probably the biggest overall change is the percentage of the state’s population that has no health insurance was cut in half during 2014 from the number in 2012.

In addition, the study found fewer people putting off medical procedures during 2014, once the act – known as Obamacare to its detractors – took effect and the number of people who said cost was the reason they did not seek treatment was also cut in half from previous years.

However, the study also found that more people reported it difficult to obtain specialty care in 2014 than in earlier years. And also slightly fewer people reported having a primary care physician (though more than 80 percent did report having a primary care physician). The study did not ascribe reasons why those conditions may have gotten worse.

The ACA, which was signed into law in 2010, went into full effect in 2014. Also, in April 2014, the state began enrolling qualified individuals into its Healthy Michigan Medicaid expansion program. Through Monday, nearly 600,000 people had enrolled in the program.

According to the study in 2012, 14 percent of the state’s population was not covered by health insurance.

In 2014, that had dropped to 7 percent.

The study attributed much of the reduction in the uninsured to persons enrolling in Medicaid and to individuals getting health insurance through the federal exchange. The study also suggested, since nearly one-third of those who got coverage said it was through their employer, that more companies may offer insurance both because of the ACA requirements on employers and because of an improving economy.

The study also found that 22 percent of those asked were delaying medical treatments compared to 29 percent who said they were delaying treatments in 2012. And fewer people in 2014 said cost was the reason why they had delayed treatment they felt was necessary.

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