全球智库信息集成服务系统

Key Findings

1. The Affordable Care Act's expansion of coverage for people under 26 appreciably decreased the uninsurance rate in that age group, a finding that is consistent with past research.
2. The 1-percent reduction in uninsurance equated to a 0.8-percent decrease in workers' compensation claim frequency and a roughly 1-percent decrease in overall claim costs.
3. The decrease in workers' compensation bills was larger among harder-to-verify conditions, such as sprains and strains, and among more expensive claims.
4. States with more generous workers' compensation reimbursement rates to medical care providers experienced a smaller decrease in costs.

Wider health insurance coverage for young Americans under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) reduces their reliance on state workers' compensation programs when they require emergency care, according to RAND research. The RAND analysis of younger workers, which examined millions of medical records in four populous states, shows that the Affordable Care Act may generate widespread and varying impacts on state workers' compensation systems nationwide.