Utilization of preventive services by women enrolled in the Affordable Care Act's Health Insurance Marketplace.

The Health Insurance Marketplace has offered access to private health insurance coverage for over 10 million Americans, including previously uninsured women. Per Affordable Care Act requirements, Marketplace plans must cover preventive services without patient cost-sharing in the same way as in employer-sponsored insurance (ESI). However, no study has evaluated whether the utilization of preventive services is similar between Marketplace enrollees and ESI enrollees.

Lessons learned recruiting a diverse sample of rural study participants during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Residents of rural areas have been a hard-to-reach population for researchers. Geographical isolation and lower population density in rural areas can make it particularly challenging to identify eligible individuals and recruit them for research studies. If the study is about a stigmatizing topic, such as opioid overdose, recruitment can be even more difficult due to confidentiality concerns and distrust of outside researchers.

Financial burden and medication adherence among near-poor older adults in a pharmaceutical assistance program.

Background: With increasing drug prices in the past decade, affordability and medication adherence are a growing concern for near-poor older adults, especially for those who are not receiving Low-Income Subsidy in Medicare Part D. SeniorCare is a pharmaceutical assistance program in Wisconsin for near-poor older adults, providing comprehensive prescription coverage with flat copayments.

Objectives: To evaluate five-year trends in financial hardship and medication adherence and to examine factors associated with these outcomes in SeniorCare members.

Trends in a State Pharmaceutical Assistance Program for Low-income Older Adults in Wisconsin.

Introduction: Many older adults face difficulty in affording their prescription drugs, despite having coverage available through Medicare Part D. SeniorCare is Wisconsin's pharmaceutical assistance program that provides comprehensive drug coverage for low-income older adults who are not eligible for full Medicaid benefits.

Methods: We analyzed SeniorCare enrollment and pharmacy claims data from 2014 to 2018.

Delayed Motor Development and Infant Obesity as Risk Factors for Severe Deformational Plagiocephaly: A Matched Case-Control Study.

The prevalence of deformational plagiocephaly (DP) has increased since the recommendation of positioning infants to their back during sleeping and is affected by various biological and environmental factors. This study aimed to investigate associations between DP and perinatal or infant characteristics, including obesity. This case-control study included 135 infants (81 males) aged 2-12 months who were diagnosed with DP using calculated cranial vault asymmetric index and cranial index and 135 age- and sex-matched controls.

Implementing parity for mental health and substance use treatment in Medicaid.

Objective: To estimate the association between the implementation of parity in coverage for mental health and substance use disorder (MHSUD) services within the Medicaid program and MHSUD service use.

Data Sources/study Setting: Wisconsin Medicaid enrollment and claims data from 2013 to 2015. In April 2014, Wisconsin Medicaid transitioned childless adult beneficiaries from coverage with limited MHSUD services to parity-consistent coverage.

The Effect of Reduced Drug Copayments on Adherence to Oral Diabetes Medications Among Childless Adults in Wisconsin Medicaid.

Background: Medication adherence is an indicator of the quality of drug use, which is associated with better health outcomes and reduced health care expenditures. Drug cost sharing can be a barrier to adherence, especially for low-income individuals with chronic conditions. Most of the existing studies in a Medicaid population have evaluated the effects of increasing drug copayments, but few studies have evaluated the effects of reducing drug copayments on medication adherence.

Low-Income Childless Adults' Access To Antidiabetic Drugs In Wisconsin Medicaid After Coverage Expansion.

Medicaid coverage was expanded for childless adults in Wisconsin through an amended Section 1115 demonstration waiver on April 1, 2014. Coverage for prescription drugs was expanded via copayment reductions and a drug formulary expansion. We analyzed administrative drug claims data to evaluate changes in the use of and out-of-pocket spending on antidiabetic drugs among childless adults who experienced the drug coverage expansion.

The predictors for the non-compliance to follow-up among very low birth weight infants in the Korean neonatal network.

The critical need to emphasize preterm infant follow-up after neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) discharge assures early identification of and intervention for neurodevelopmental disability. The aims of this study were to observe the follow-up rates in high-risk follow-up clinics, and analyze factors associated with non-compliance to follow-up among very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. The data was prospectively collected for 3063 VLBW infants between January 2013 and December 2014 from 57 Korean neonatal network (KNN) centers at a corrected age of 18-24 months.

Effects of the Affordable Care Act's contraceptive coverage requirement on the utilization and out-of-pocket costs of prescribed oral contraceptives.

Background: The Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandated that private health insurance plans cover prescribed contraceptive services for women, including oral contraceptives (OCs), without charging a patient any cost-sharing beginning in August 2012.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of the ACA's contraceptive coverage requirement on the utilization and out-of-pocket costs of prescribed OCs after two years of implementation.

Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional study was designed using data from the 2010 to 2014 waves of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.

Effects of the Affordable Care Act's Dependent Coverage Mandate on Private Health Insurance Coverage in Urban and Rural Areas.

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) dependent coverage mandate on insurance coverage among young adults in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from 2006-2009 and 2011 waves of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. A difference-in-difference analysis was used to compare changes in full-year private health insurance coverage among young adults aged 19-25 years with an older cohort aged 27-34 years.

Insulin pump therapy in transient neonatal diabetes mellitus.

Neonatal diabetes mellitus (NDM) is a rare disease requiring insulin treatment. Its treatment is primarily focused on maintaining adequate glycemic control and avoiding hypoglycemia. Although insulin pump therapy is frequently administered to adults and children, there is no consensus on the use of insulin pumps in NDM.

Parenteral nutrition associated cholestasis is earlier, more prolonged and severe in small for gestational age compared with appropriate for gestational age very low birth weight infants.

Purpose: We hypothesized that parenteral nutrition associated cholestasis (PNAC) would be more severe in small for gestational age (SGA) compared with appropriate for gestational age (AGA) very low birth weight (VLBW) infants.

Materials And Methods: Sixty-one VLBW infants were diagnosed as PNAC with exposure to parenteral nutrition with elevation of direct bilirubin≥2 mg/dL for ≥14 days. Twenty-one SGA infants and 40 AGA infants matched for gestation were compared.