Changes in Mortality After Massachusetts Health Care Reform
Authors: Benjamin D. Sommers, Sharon K. Long, Katherine Baicker
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2015)

Letters5 May 2015Changes in Mortality After Massachusetts Health Care ReformBenjamin D. Sommers, MD, PhD, Sharon K. Long, PhD, and Katherine Baicker, PhDBenjamin D. Sommers, MD, PhDFrom Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, and The Urban Institute, Washington, DC., Sharon K. Long, PhDFrom Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, and The Urban Institute, Washington, DC., and Katherine Baicker, PhDFrom Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, and The Urban Institute, Washington, DC.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L15-5085-2 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:We appreciate Dr. Kaestner's concerns. Testing the robustness of our findings by using alternative appropriate estimation techniques is a critical way to assess the reliability of our quasi-experimental approach.Because we lack sufficient detail on Dr. Kaestner's analysis, we cannot evaluate the soundness of his approach or the validity of his results. However, we believe that his concern about uneven cluster size driving spurious results is addressed by the state-level analysis presented in Appendix Table 4 of the Supplement, which the Supplemental Appendix describes in detail. We analyzed the study's 47 states by using annual state race-, age-, ...References1. Courtemanche CJ, Zapata D. Does universal coverage improve health? The Massachusetts experience. J Policy Anal Manage. 2014;33:36-69. [PMID: 24358528] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Van Der Wees PJ, Zaslavsky AM, Ayanian JZ. Improvements in health status after Massachusetts health care reform. Milbank Q. 2013;91:663-89. [PMID: 24320165] doi:10.1111/1468-0009.12029 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Miller S. The effect of insurance on emergency room visits: an analysis of the 2006 Massachusetts health reform. J Pub Econ. 2012;96:893-908. CrossrefGoogle Scholar4. Hanchate AD, Lasser KE, Kapoor A, Rosen J, McCormick D, D'Amore MM, et al. Massachusetts reform and disparities in inpatient care utilization. Med Care. 2012;50:569-77. [PMID: 22683590] doi:10.1097/MLR.0b013e31824e319f CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Benjamin D. Sommers, MD, PhD; Sharon K. Long, PhD; Katherine Baicker, PhDAffiliations: From Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, and The Urban Institute, Washington, DC.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M13-2275. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoChanges in Mortality After Massachusetts Health Care Reform Benjamin D. Sommers , Sharon K. Long , and Katherine Baicker Changes in Mortality After Massachusetts Health Care Reform Benjamin D. Sommers , Sharon K. Long , and Katherine Baicker Changes in Mortality After Massachusetts Health Care Reform Robert Kaestner Changes in Mortality After Massachusetts Health Care Reform Robert Kaestner Metrics Cited byPost–Affordable Care Act Improvements in Cancer Stage Among Ohio Medicaid Beneficiaries Resulted From an Increase in Stable CoverageInfluence of China's Overall Planning for Urban and Rural Medical Insurance on Citizen HealthThe Credibility Revolution in Economics and How It Has Changed Health PolicyHealth Insurance Coverage Disruptions and Cancer Care and Outcomes: Systematic Review of Published ResearchCall to Action: Rural Health: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association and American Stroke AssociationAssociation of Medicaid Expansion With Cardiovascular MortalityAssociation of State Medicaid Expansion With Quality of Care and Outcomes for Low-Income Patients Hospitalized With Acute Myocardial InfarctionAssociation of the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid Expansion With Care Quality and Outcomes for Low-Income Patients Hospitalized With Heart FailureSubstance Use Treatment Provider Behavior and Healthcare Reform: Evidence from MassachusettsAn American Thoracic Society/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Workshop Report: Addressing Respiratory Health Equality in the United StatesA Roadmap for Achieving Respiratory Health EqualityEditor's Spotlight/Take 5: Universal Health Insurance Coverage in Massachusetts Did Not Change the Trajectory of Arthroplasty Use or Costs 5 May 2015Volume 162, Issue 9Page: 668-669KeywordsCellsDeath ratesDisclosureHealth careHealth statisticsMortality ePublished: 5 May 2015 Issue Published: 5 May 2015 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2015 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...