title: Influence of Medical Insurance Under the Affordable Care Act on Access to Pain Management of the Trauma Patient.
abstract: The Affordable Care Act intended to "extend affordable coverage" and "ensure access" for vulnerable patient populations. This investigation examined whether the type of insurance (Medicaid, Medicare, Blue Cross, cash pay) carried by trauma patients influences access to pain management specialty care.
  
  
  
  Investigators phoned 443 board-certified pain specialists, securing office visits with 235 pain physicians from 8 different states. Appointments for pain management were for a patient who sustained an ankle fracture requiring surgery and experiencing difficulty weaning off opioids. Offices were phoned 4 times assessing responses to the 4 different payment methodologies.
  
  
  
  Fifty-three percent of pain specialists contacted (235 of 443) were willing to see new patients to manage pain medication. Within the 53% of positive responses, 7.2% of physicians scheduled appointments for Medicaid patients, compared with 26.8% for cash-paying patients, 39.6% for those with Medicare, and 41.3% with Blue Cross (P < 0.0001). There were no differences in appointment access between states that had expanded Medicaid eligibility for low-income adults versus states that had not expanded Medicaid eligibility. Neither Medicaid nor Medicare reimbursement levels for new patient visits correlated with ability to schedule an appointment or influenced wait times.
  
  
  
  Access to pain specialists for management of pain medication in the postoperative trauma patient proved challenging. Despite the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid patients still experienced curtailed access to pain specialists and confronted the highest incidence of barriers to receiving appointments.
authors: From the Departments of *Orthopedics and Rehabilitation and †Adult and Perioperative Anesthesiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.
authors: Daniel H
authors: DH
authors: Wiznia
authors: Theodore
authors: T
authors: Zaki
authors: Julianna
authors: J
authors: Maisano
authors: Chang-Yeon
authors: CY
authors: Kim
authors: Thomas M
authors: TM
authors: Halaszynski
authors: Michael P
authors: MP
authors: Leslie
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics; D064386:Ankle Fractures / Q000191:economics / Q000628:therapy; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics* / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage / Q000191:economics* / Q000639:trends; D008484:Medicaid / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends; D006278:Medicare / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends; D008875:Middle Aged; D059408:Pain Management / Q000191:economics* / Q000639:trends; D058991:Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act / Q000191:economics* / Q000639:trends; D010820:Physicians / Q000191:economics* / Q000639:trends; D013038:Specialization / Q000191:economics* / Q000639:trends; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid