TY - RPRT T1 - The 80%: The True Scope of Financial Insecurity in Retirement Y1 - 2020 A1 - Popham, Lauren A1 - Silberman, Susan A1 - Berke, Liz A1 - Tavares, Jane A1 - Cohen, Marc KW - financial insecurity KW - Retirement JF - Issue Brief PB - National Council on Aging UR - chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com/ffacfe7d-10b6-0083-2632-604077fd4eca/302be397-f6e1-482b-ac71-ff2957dbe5bb/2021-FWP-DG02_The%2080_Issue%20Brief_FINAL.pdf ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Medicaid Utilization among Middle-age and Older Adults: A Health and Retirement Study Longitudinal Analysis (1998 to 2014). JF - Journal of Aging & Social Policy Y1 - 2020 A1 - Jane Tavares A1 - Marc A Cohen A1 - Silberman, Susan A1 - Popham, Lauren KW - medicaid beneficiaries KW - medicaid spend-down KW - Medicaid utilization AB -

With over fifteen million older adults in the United States relying on the means-tested Medicaid program for healthcare coverage, there has been concern over rising Medicaid costs among this rapidly growing age group. Few studies have longitudinally examined trends among older beneficiaries over time to identify factors related to Medicaid utilization and to better understand how potential coverage changes might impact this group. This study used the 1998 to 2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (N = 8,162) to analyze a representative sample of those aged 50 and older to ascertain demographic, health, and economic factors associated with Medicaid utilization over a sixteen-year period. The analyses showed stable probabilities of accessing the program over time and observed that the most vulnerable older adults make up the pool of Medicaid beneficiaries. There is no evidence of significant asset divestment in order to qualify for benefits. Multivariate analyses further revealed those who were older, female, minority race/ethnicity, less educated, in poorer health, below the federal poverty line, and with lower net wealth had a higher risk of utilizing Medicaid during the observed time period than their counterparts. Findings highlight the importance of monitoring changes in the documented risk factors over time in terms of their impact on Medicaid utilization and underscore the need to consider how these factors may be interrelated.

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