Thanks, Obama? ACA making Americans healthier, new studies suggest

New research suggests that since the Affordable Care Act has launched, Americans are less likely to have medical debt and postpone care because of cost, and more likely to have a regular doctor and receive preventive health resources, such as vaccines and cancer screenings.

The most recent study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, suggests that low-income people in Arkansas and Kentucky are healthier because their states expanded Medicaid insurance, unlike Texas, which didn’t and has less healthy residents.

The survey found that people in Arkansas and Kentucky were almost 5 percent more likely than people in Texas to say they were in excellent health in 2015, a bigger difference than the year before.

To read more about the study, click the link below:

Katherine Davis,

Senior Writer

As a Senior Writer for TriMed Media Group, Katherine primarily focuses on producing news stories, Q&As and features for Cardiovascular Business. She reports on several facets of the cardiology industry, including emerging technology, new clinical trials and findings, and quality initiatives among providers. She is based out of TriMed's Chicago office and holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Columbia College Chicago. Her work has appeared in Modern Healthcare, Crain's Chicago Business and The Detroit News. She joined TriMed in 2016.

Around the web

The tirzepatide shortage that first began in 2022 has been resolved. Drug companies distributing compounded versions of the popular drug now have two to three more months to distribute their remaining supply.

The 24 members of the House Task Force on AI—12 reps from each party—have posted a 253-page report detailing their bipartisan vision for encouraging innovation while minimizing risks. 

Merck sent Hansoh Pharma, a Chinese biopharmaceutical company, an upfront payment of $112 million to license a new investigational GLP-1 receptor agonist. There could be many more payments to come if certain milestones are met.