Early Impact of the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid Expansion on Dental Care Use

Objective

To examine the impact of the Affordable Care Act on dental care use among poor adults ages 21–64 in 2014.

Data

2010–2014 Gallup‐Healthways Wellbeing Index Survey.

Study Design

Among poor adults with income at or below 138% of the Federal Poverty Level, a differences‐in‐differences analysis was used to compare the changes in dental care use in states with different Medicaid expansion and adult dental policies.

Principal Findings

Relative to the pre‐reform period and other states, in Medicaid expansion states with adult dental benefits, dental care use increased between 2 and 6 percent points in the second half of 2014, but most of these changes were not statistically significant.

Conclusions

Early evidence suggests that the Affordable Care Act may either not be having a substantial impact on dental care use or it is too early to assess the impact.