Public Health Policy Annotated Bibliography
U.S. scholarship on health policy, Medicaid, coverage expansion, and population health outcomes
1
Sommers, B. D., Gunja, M. Z., Finegold, K., & Musco, T. (2015). Changes in self-reported insurance coverage,
access to care, and health under the Affordable Care Act.
JAMA, 314
(4), 366–374.
https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2015.8421
This study examines changes in insurance coverage, access to care, and self-reported health during the first two
open-enrollment periods of the Affordable Care Act. Using a national survey of U.S. adults, the authors
examined changes over time and differences among low-income adults in Medicaid-expansion and
nonexpansion states. The study is useful for public health policy research because it demonstrates how a major
policy can be evaluated through measurable population outcomes. Its early implementation period should be
considered when applying the findings to later years.
2
Mazurenko, O., Balio, C. P., Agarwal, R., Carroll, A. E., & Menachemi, N. (2018). The effects of Medicaid
expansion under the ACA: A systematic review.
Health Affairs, 37
(6), 944–950.
https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2017.1491
This systematic review synthesizes 77 peer-reviewed studies examining the effects of Medicaid expansion
under the Affordable Care Act. The authors organize evidence around coverage, service use, quality of care,
and spending. The review is valuable because it brings findings from many individual studies together rather
than relying on one state's experience. Its systematic approach makes it a strong source for policy research,
while differences among the underlying studies also show why policy effects should be interpreted carefully.
3
Bellerose, M., Collin, L., & Daw, J. R. (2022). The ACA Medicaid expansion and perinatal insurance, health care
use, and health outcomes: A systematic review.
Health Affairs, 41
(1), 60–68.
https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2021.01150
This systematic review examines research on Medicaid expansion and insurance, health-care use, and health
outcomes during the preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum periods. The review found increased Medicaid
coverage and reductions in uninsurance during these periods, while evidence for broader improvements in
perinatal health outcomes was more limited. The article is useful because it shows how a public health policy
can have different effects across stages of care and across outcomes. Its focus on perinatal populations gives a
policy researcher a concrete case for examining targeted health-policy effects.
4
Sommers, B. D., Baicker, K., & Epstein, A. M. (2012). Mortality and access to care among adults after state
Medicaid expansions.
New England Journal of Medicine, 367
(11), 1025–1034.
https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMsa1202099
