Karan R Chhabra1,2,3, Zhaohui Fan4, Grace F Chao5,4,6, Justin B Dimick4,7, Dana A Telem4,7. 1. National Clinician Scholars Program at the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, University of Michigan, 2800 Plymouth Road, Building 14, Room G100, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA. kchhabra@bwh.harvard.edu. 2. Center for Healthcare Outcomes and Policy, University of Michigan, 2800 Plymouth Road, Building 16, 016-100N-28, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA. kchhabra@bwh.harvard.edu. 3. Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. kchhabra@bwh.harvard.edu. 4. Center for Healthcare Outcomes and Policy, University of Michigan, 2800 Plymouth Road, Building 16, 016-100N-28, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA. 5. National Clinician Scholars Program at the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, University of Michigan, 2800 Plymouth Road, Building 14, Room G100, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA. 6. Department of Surgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA. 7. Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, 2800 Plymouth Road, Building 16, 016-100N-28, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: In response to concerns about inadequate insurance coverage, bariatric surgery was included in the Affordable Care Act's essential health benefits program-requiring individual and small-group insurance plans in 23 states to cover bariatric surgery. We evaluated the impact of this policy on bariatric surgery utilization. METHODS: Multiple-group interrupted time series analyses of IBM MarketScan commercial claims data from 2009 to 2016. RESULTS: Bariatric surgery utilization increased in all states after ACA implementation, but this increase was no greater in states with a bariatric surgery essential health benefit. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the essential health benefits program may have been too narrow in scope to meaningfully increase bariatric surgery utilization at the population level.
BACKGROUND: In response to concerns about inadequate insurance coverage, bariatric surgery was included in the Affordable Care Act's essential health benefits program-requiring individual and small-group insurance plans in 23 states to cover bariatric surgery. We evaluated the impact of this policy on bariatric surgery utilization. METHODS: Multiple-group interrupted time series analyses of IBM MarketScan commercial claims data from 2009 to 2016. RESULTS: Bariatric surgery utilization increased in all states after ACA implementation, but this increase was no greater in states with a bariatric surgery essential health benefit. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the essential health benefits program may have been too narrow in scope to meaningfully increase bariatric surgery utilization at the population level.
Entities:
Keywords:
Bariatric surgery; Essential health benefits; Health insurance; Health policy; Utilization
Authors: Kaitlin M Love; J Hunter Mehaffey; Dana Safavian; Bruce Schirmer; Steven K Malin; Peter T Hallowell; Jennifer L Kirby Journal: Surg Obes Relat Dis Date: 2017-01-13 Impact factor: 4.734
Authors: Amresh D Hanchate; Danyang Qi; Michael K Paasche-Orlow; Karen E Lasser; Zhixiu Liu; Mengyun Lin; Kristina Henderson Lewis Journal: JAMA Health Forum Date: 2021-10-08