The impact of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act on HIV care continuum outcomes across the United States
HIV care continuum outcome disparities by health insurance status have been noted among people with HIV (PWH). We therefore examined associations between state Medicaid expansion and HIV outcomes in the United States. Adults (≥18 years) with ≥1 visit in NA-ACCORD clinical cohorts from 2012-2017 contributed person-time annually between first and final visit or death; in each calendar year, clinical retention was ≥2 completed visits > 90 days apart, antiretroviral therapy (ART) receipt was receipt of ≥3 antiretroviral agents, and viral suppression was last measured HIV-1 RNA < 200 copies/mL. CD4 at enrollment was obtained within 6 months of enrollment in cohort. Difference-in-difference (DID) models quantified associations between Medicaid expansion changes (by state of residence) and HIV outcomes. Across 50 states, 87 290 PWH contributed 325 113 person-years of follow-up. Medicaid expansion had a substantial positive effect on CD4 at enrollment (DID = 93.5, 95% CI: 52.9, 134 cells/mm<sup>3</sup>), a small negative effect on proportions clinically retained (DID = -0.19, 95% CI: -0.037, -0.01), and no effects on ART receipt (DID = 0.001, 95% CI: -0.003, 0.005) or viral suppression (DID = -0.14, 95% CI: -0.34, 0.07). Medicaid expansion had a positive effect on CD4 at entry, suggesting more timely HIV testing and care linkage, but generally null effects on downstream HIV care continuum measures.
Authors
- Stephen J. Gange (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7842-512X)
- Michael Jonah Silverberg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9322-1395)
- Peter F. Rebeiro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1951-9104)
- Keri N. Althoff (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5068-6595)
- Pedro H. C. Sant’Anna (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7280-7431)
- Daniel Sack (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0864-8875)
- Bryan E. Shepherd (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3758-5992)
- Julia C. Thome (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4387-1458)
- Michael Alan Horberg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6971-7646)
- Richard D. Moore (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8250-5069)
- Timothy R. Sterling (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4822-6979)
- Stephen A. Berry
Institutions
- Kaiser Permanente (US)
- Johns Hopkins University (US)
- Vanderbilt University (US)
- Johns Hopkins Medicine (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Health Affairs Scholar
- Published
- 2024-10-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1093/haschl/qxae128
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Healthcare Policy and Management
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.26
Funders
- Government of Alberta
- National Institutes of Health
- Health Resources and Services Administration
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
- National Institute on Aging
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
- National Institute of Mental Health
- National Institute on Drug Abuse
- National Human Genome Research Institute
- National Cancer Institute
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
- National Institute of Nursing Research
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
- National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research