Disparities in Primary Care Wait Times in Medicaid versus Commercial Insurance

Background: Timely access to primary care is important, particularly among patients with acute conditions and seeking gateways specialty care. Due concerns that expanded Medicaid eligibility would compromise new beneficiaries, an experimental study was conducted test the ability obtain timely appointments. Although appointments for simulated significantly increased, wait times also increased. This explores determinants of whether they pose greater barriers beneficiaries. Methods: We linear regressions determine association between number days scheduled patient9s clinical scenario, practice-level characteristics, county-level measures supply. Results: Simulated faced 1.3 longer than commercially insured ones. Participation in accountable organizations integrated health systems associated but did not seem reduce time disparities across insurance types. Notably, presence Federally Qualified Health Centers a given county lower patients. Conclusions: These findings highlight complexity provide insight future waves reform.