Access to Health Care

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

In this session, four papers will explore critical aspects of healthcare access and outcomes: the impact of urgent care centers on health and local healthcare systems, the effects of hospital consolidation on medical debt, the consequences of obstetric unit closures on maternity care access and health disparities, and the role of prior authorization policies in Medicaid on drug utilization and spending. These studies will provide valuable insights into how changes in healthcare infrastructure, provider concentration, and policy interventions affect patient health and access to care, emphasizing the need for targeted policies to address disparities and improve health outcomes for all.

Policy Area

• Health Policy

Chair

• Sarah Reber, Brookings Institution

Discussants

• Sarah Reber, Brookings Institution

• Caitlin Knowles Myers, Middlebury College

Organizer

• Sarah Reber, Brookings Institution

Individual Presentations

• The Health Effects of Urgent Care Center Entry: The Case of WellNow - Presenting Author: Eliane H. Barker, Hamilton College

• Effects of Obstetric Unit Closures on Maternity Care Access and Delivery Outcomes - Presenting Author: Jennifer Helen Kwok, University of Illinois, Chicago

• Health Provider Concentration and Medical Debt - Presenting Author: Alaa Abdelfattah, Occidental College

• Informative Ordeals in Health Care: Prior Authorization of Drugs in Medicaid - Presenting Author: Ljubica Ristovska, University of Texas at Austin