More Evidence that Obamacare has Saved Lives

Almost as soon as Obamacare [ACA] was implemented, researchers began collecting data to determine if it was working as designed. The theory was that the uninsured would benefit if they had greater access to healthcare, including regular check-ups, and didn't have to utilize emergency rooms after they became sick. It sounds obvious, but with many Republicans still gunning for the law, it's important to demonstrate that the ACA is making America healthier and saving lives.

One of the first studies was done at Harvard University's T.H. Chan School of Public Health and reported in 2018. Researchers found that the ACA's Medicaid expansion was improving outcomes for patients who required surgery.

Harvard.edu: “What was most striking was that we saw significant improvements in the treatment of surgical conditions fairly quickly, less than two years after states expanded Medicaid coverage,” said lead author Andrew Loehrer, who conducted the study as a research fellow at Harvard Chan School."

Over the last few months we reported the results of several recent studies that demonstrated that Obamacare with its Medicaid expansion has lowered cardiovascular related deaths substantially, and that thousands of cancer patients benefited from the passage of the Affordable Care Act because their diseases were detected earlier, at a stage when treatment is more effective.

There are a number of other studies which support the ACA's benefits, many originating in Michigan which quickly expanded Medicaid after the passage of Obamacare in 2010, covering about 650,000 of the state's uninsured.

Washington Post: "One 2017 study compared heart surgery patients in Michigan and Virginia, which had not yet expanded Medicaid at the time. It found that those who had cardiac bypasses or valve operations in Michigan had fewer complications afterward than similar people in Virginia, where more were uninsured."

"One in three Michigan women said that, after joining Medicaid, they could more easily get birth control. And four in 10 people in Healthy Michigan with a chronic health condition — such as high blood pressure, a mood disorder or chronic lung disease — learned of it only after getting the coverage, according to survey results published last month."

And, we are starting to get some idea of how many lives Obamacare is saving annually.

Washington Post: "A National Bureau of Economic Research paper from July that examined “deaths from all causes among adults from their mid-50s to mid-60s, found that dying in a given year has been significantly less common in the states that expanded Medicaid.” Amy [Post reporter Amy Goldstein] adds: "The paper said that perhaps 15,600 deaths could have been avoided if the expansion had been nationwide, but it cautioned that is a rough estimate in part because the study was unable to look specifically at the people who signed up for Medicaid." 

The fight to save Obamacare is far from over and if Donald Trump wins reelection expect another attempt to repeal it. We are just starting to understand how devastating that would be for millions of Americans who now have access to healthcare because of the law.

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By: Don Lam & Curated Content