People near the poverty line who have access to health insurance through the Affordable Care Act are about 25% less likely to fall behind on a rent or mortgage payment than people who don't have coverage, according to a new study summarized in CityLab.
Details: The study compared people who fall into the ACA's "coverage gap," in states that haven't expanded Medicaid, against similarly situated people in expansion states (where there's no coverage gap).
- To some extent these findings are to be expected: Money is fungible, and the more help you have covering one cost, the more likely you'll also be able to cover another cost.
- But the effect turned out bigger than expected, one of the study's authors told CityLab.
- And it's also an indication that people can't simply skip a visit to the doctor, even if it means putting yourself at greater risk for eviction.
Go deeper: The poor state of U.S. hospital quality
